Just wanted to add
this Asplund et al. article that confirms the discrepancy between the Standard Solar Model (SSM) and observation of Neon abundances.
So Tim, I ask again, what's up?
Quote:
Tim Thompson:
It's the convective layer that is differentially rotating, everything outwards from ~0.7 Rs. The part of the sun that appears to be "rigidly" rotating is the radiative zone, the part that lies between ~0.2 and ~0.7 Rs.
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I also want to ask what
this Lefebvre et al. article means in terms of the SSM.
Abstract:
Quote:
We report on the changes of the Sun’s subsurface stratification inferred from helioseismology data. Using SOHO/MDI (SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory/Michelson Doppler Imager) data for the last 9 years and, more precisely, the temporal variation of f-mode frequencies, we have computed the variation of the radius of subsurface layers of the Sun by applying helioseismic inversions.
We have found a variability of the “helioseismic” radius in antiphase with the
solar activity, with the strongest variations of the stratification being just below the surface around 0.995 Rsun. Besides, the radius of the deeper layers of the Sun, between 0.975 Rsun and 0.99 Rsun, changes in phase with the 11-year cycle.
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To me this suggests that the 11 year cycle of the Sun is centered only "skin deep" into the solar surface, in other words, there would have to be either another "transition layer" very close to the solar surface, or generation of the magnetic fields is not as you say around the 0.7 Rsun.
This is only a few thousand kilometers deep, it ties in very well with earlier observations that show that there is a region around sunspots that is detectable by helioseismology and is described as
"superficial".
Cheers.