Repurposing a Solar Magnetic Feature Tracking Code to Study Surface and Interior Dynamics

Abstract:

We describe efforts to adapt the Southwest Automatic Magnetic Identification Suite (SWAMIS) magnetic feature tracking code for two distinct uses: 1) to identify and track magnetic proxy features observed near the limb in SDO/HMI continuum images; 2) to identify and track velocity structures in Rayleigh convection simulations. Magnetic feature tracking techniques have been applied to line-of-sight magnetograms to enable a wide variety of analyses over the past 20+ years. Most analyses use only the portion of magnetograms within a certain heliocentric angle from solar disc center; those that do not exclude regions near the limb have to contend with the worst of the line-of-sight and projection effects. In order to further our understanding of the dynamics of the solar interior in particular, new combinations of diagnostic techniques, input data, and theoretical predictions must be developed. By repurposing SWAMIS to more reliably identify features near the limb and to track velocity structures in simulations, we hope to develop new methods by which to constrain the Sun's surface and interior dynamics.