Inversion of full acoustic wavefield in local helioseismology: A study with synthetic data

Abstract

We present the first results from the inversion of full acoustic wavefield in the helioseismic context. In contrast to time-distance helioseismology, which involves analyzing the travel times of seismic waves propagating into the solar interior, wavefield tomography models both the travel times and amplitude variations present in the entire seismic record. Unlike the use of ray-based, Fresnel-zone, Born, or Rytov approximations in previous time-distance studies, this method does not require any simplifications to be made to the sensitivity kernel in the inversion. In this study, the acoustic wavefield is simulated for all iterations in the inversion. The sensitivity kernel is therefore updated while lateral variations in sound-speed structure in the model emerge during the course of the inversion. Our results demonstrate that the amplitude-based inversion approach is capable of resolving sound-speed structures defined by relatively sharp vertical and horizontal boundaries. This study therefore provides the foundation for a new type of subsurface imaging in local helioseismology that is based on the inversion of the entire seismic wavefield.