English

A self-consistent model of the solar tachocline

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 2018-02-14 v1

Abstract

We present a local but fully nonlinear model of the solar tachocline, using three-dimensional direct numerical simulations. The tachocline forms naturally as a statistically steady balance between Coriolis, pressure, buoyancy and Lorentz forces beneath a turbulent convection zone. Uniform rotation is maintained in the radiation zone by a primordial magnetic field, which is confined by meridional flows in the tachocline and convection zone. Such balanced dynamics has previously been found in idealised laminar models, but never in fully self-consistent numerical simulations.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1801.02565,
  title  = {A self-consistent model of the solar tachocline},
  author = {Toby S. Wood and Nicholas H. Brummell},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1801.02565},
  year   = {2018}
}

Comments

Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

R2 v1 2026-06-22T23:39:32.624Z