Excitation of Solar Acoustic Oscillations

Abstract

The stochastic excitation of solar oscillations due to turbulent convection is reviewed. A number of different observational results that provide test for solar p-mode excitation theories are described. I discuss how well the stochastic excitation theory does in explaining these observations. The location and properties of sources that excite solar p-modes are also described. Finally, I discuss why solar g-modes should be linearly stable, and estimate the surface velocity amplitudes of low degree g-modes assuming that they are stochastically excited by the turbulent convection in the sun.

19 pages, LaTeX, 7 figues. Invited review to appear in the IAU symposium # 181 "Sounding Solar and Stellar Interiors", eds. F.X. Schmider & J. Provost