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What Seismic Minimum Reveals About Solar Magnetism Below the Surface?

The Sun's magnetic field varies in multiple time scales. Observations show that the minimum between cycles 24 and 25 was the second consecutive minimum which was deeper and wider than several earlier minima. Since the active regions observed at the Sun's surface are manifestations of the magnetic field generated in the interior, it is crucial to investigate/understand the dynamics below the surface. In this context, we report, by probing the solar interior with helioseismic techniques applied to long-term oscillations data from the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG), that the seismic minima in deeper layers have been occurring about a year earlier than that at the surface for the last two consecutive solar cycles. Our findings also demonstrate a decrease in strong magnetic fields at the base of the convection zone, the primary driver of the surface magnetic activity. We conclude that the magnetic fields located in the core and near-surface shear layers, in addition to the tachocline fields, play an important role in modifying the oscillation frequencies. This provides evidence that further strengthens the existence of a relic magnetic field in the Sun's core since its formation.