Temporal variations in the rotation rate in the solar interior

Abstract

The frequency splittings obtained from GONG and MDI observations over the last 7 years are used to study how the rotation rate of the solar convection zone has evolved with time. The bands of faster and slower than average rotation rate are found to move towards the equator at low latitudes, while at high latitudes they move towards the poles. The low latitude bands also move upwards with time, and they extend almost to the base of the convection zone. We find no significant temporal variation in the rotation rate in the tachocline region.