Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 May 2016
The rotation of the sun affects the wave propagation in the solar cavity. The measurement of the effect can be used to infer the internal rotation of the sun, and indeed much of what we know today about the dynamics of the solar interior has been derived from observation and interpretation of the rotationally induced splitting of solar p-mode frequencies. Inversion has proven to be a very powerful tool in such investigations, and will remain at the centre of our effort in studying solar rotation from helioseimic data. Study of the flow inside the sun is not only important in its own right but is vital for improving our understanding of solar activity and its cycle. Now that both GONG and SOHO are operational and are accumulating data, there is no doubt that we are about to learn a great deal more about the dynamical structure of our own star.