RKommAbstract - JSOC

Active regions (magnetic fields, in general) provide a point of contact between helioseismic studies of the upper convection zone and studies of the solar atmosphere. Helioseismic observations allow us to derive in detail subsurface flows and sound-speed structures associated with active regions. Recent helioseismic studies have shown, for example, that subsurface flows associated with active regions are very complex and highly twisted and that their twisted nature is related to the flare production of active regions. In this context, it is of interest, for example, to find out how the kinetic helicity of subsurface flows relates to the magnetic helicity of flux tubes. Helicity-loaded fields are very probably responsible for the most geoeffective solar phenomena such as coronal mass ejections and flares. Events in the solar atmosphere can, on the other hand, produce seismic responses such as sunquakes, acoustic events generated by flares. These sunquakes appear to be related to the acceleration and propagation of electrons and ions during the impulsive phase of solar flares. Inclined magnetic field lines can provide, quite literally, a link between interior and atmosphere acting as magnetoacoustic `portals' that allow waves, which are evanescent in a non-magnetic atmosphere, to propagate into the chromosphere. I will discuss some of the latest results and what SDO can do for understanding these links.