Helioseismology program for Solar Dynamics Observatory

An overview of the science investigation program for the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (FIMI) of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) space mission scheduled for launch in 2008 is presented. The HMI investigation encompasses three primary objectives of the Living With a Star Program: first, to determine how and why the Sun varies; second, to improve our understanding of how the Sun drives global change and space weather; and third, to determine to what extent predictions of space weather and global change can be made and to prototype predictive techniques. Helioseismology provides unique tools to study the basic mechanisms of the Sun's magnetic activity and variability. It plays a crucial role in all HMI investigations, which include convection-zone dynamics and the solar dynamo; origin and evolution of sunspots, active regions and complexes of activity; sources and drivers of solar activity and disturbances; links between the internal processes and dynamics of the corona and heliosphere; and precursors of solar disturbances for space-weather forecasts. We describe new unique opportunities for helioseismology studies with HMI data, in combination with data from the other SDO instruments, Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and Extreme-ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE), and also from various space and ground-based observatories. The complete HMI science investigation and data analysis plan is available at http://hmi.stanford.edu. (c) 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.