What Causes P-mode Asymmetry Reversal?

Abstract

The solar acoustic p-mode line profiles are asymmetric. Velocity spectra have more power on the low-frequency sides, whereas intensity profiles show the opposite sense of asymmetry. Numerical simulations of the upper convection zone have resonant p-modes with the same asymmetries and asymmetry reversal as the observed modes. The temperature and velocity power spectra at optical depth $\tau_{\rm cont} = 1$ have the opposite asymmetry as is observed for the intensity and velocity spectra. At a fixed geometrical depth, corresponding to $<\tau_{\rm cont}>=1$, however, the temperature and velocity spectra have the same asymmetry. This indicates that the asymmetry reversal is produced by radiative transfer effects and not by correlated noise.