Predicting frequency changes of global-scale solar Rossby modes due to solar cycle changes in internal rotation

Context. Large-scale equatorial Rossby modes have been observed on the Sun over the last two solar cycles. Aims. We investigate the impact of the time-varying zonal flows on the frequencies of Rossby modes. Methods. A first-order perturbation theory approach is used to obtain an expression for the expected shift in the mode frequencies due to perturbations in the internal rotation rate. Results. Using the time-varying rotation from helioseismic inversions we predict the changes in Rossby mode frequencies with azimuthal orders from mâ 1 to mâ =â 15 over the last two solar cycles. The peak-To-peak frequency change is less than 1 nHz for the mâ =â 1 mode, grows with m, and reaches 25 nHz for mâ =â 15. Conclusions. Given the observational uncertainties on mode frequencies due to the finite mode lifetimes, we find that the predicted frequency shifts are near the limit of detectability.