Related papers: The tachocline revisited
Motivated by the interface model for the solar dynamo, this paper explores the complex magnetohydrodynamic interactions between convective flows and shear-driven instabilities. Initially, we consider the dynamics of a forced shear flow…
The large-scale structures in the ocean and the atmosphere are in geostrophic balance, and a conduit must be found to channel the energy to the small scales where it can be dissipated. In turbulence this takes the form of an energy cascade,…
In previous work, we have shown that recent updated standard solar models cannot reproduce the radial profile of the sound speed at the base of the convective zone (CZ) and fail to predict the Li7 depletion. In parallel, helioseismology has…
Solar active regions, produced by the emergence of tubes of strong magnetic field in the photosphere, are restricted to within 35 degrees of the solar equator. The nature of the dynamo processes that create and renew these fields, and are…
Rotational mixing, the key process in stellar evolution, transports angular momentum and chemical elements in stellar radiative zones. In the past two decades, an emphasis has been placed on the turbulent transport induced by the vertical…
We present detailed numerical calculations of the fast solar tachocline based on the assumption that the dynamo field dominates over the dynamics of the tachocline. In the present paper of the series, we focus on three shortfalls of the…
Helioseismology has revealed the internal density and rotation profiles of the Sun. Yet, knowledge of its magnetic fields and meridional circulation is confined much closer to the surface, and latitudinal entropy gradients are below…
Circulation-dominated solar dynamo models, which employ a helioseismic rotation profile and a fixed meridional flow, give a good approximation to the large scale solar magnetic phenomena, such as the 11-year cycle or the so called Hale's…
3D MHD global solar simulations coupling the turbulent convective zone and the radiative zone have been carried out. Essential features of the Sun such as differential rotation, meridional circulation and internal waves excitation are…
A hypothesis for sunspot formation is the buoyant emergence of magnetic flux tubes created by the strong radial shear at the tachocline. In this scenario, the magnetic field has to exceed a threshold value before it becomes buoyant and…
The vectoral wind structure of daytime atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) turbulence is strongly dependent on the balance between shear-driven turbulence production of horizontal fluctuations (driven by winds at the mesoscale), and…
Many stars exhibit strong magnetic fields, some of which are thought to be of primordial origin and others a sign of magnetic dynamo processes. We briefly review the results of observational studies of solar-type stars seeking to evaluate…
The onset of convection in a rapidly rotating layer in which a thermal wind is present is studied. Diffusive effects are included. The main motivation is from convection in planetary interiors, where thermal winds are expected due to…
Stably-stratified layers may be present at the top of the electrically-conducting fluid layers of many planets either because the temperature gradient is locally subadiabatic or because a stable composition gradient is maintained by the…
We consider the dynamics of a vertically stratified, horizontally-forced Kolmogorov flow. Motivated by astrophysical systems where the Prandtl number is often asymptotically small, our focus is the little-studied limit of high Reynolds…
In order to match observed properties of the solar cycle, flux-transport dynamo models require the toroidal magnetic flux to be stored in a region of low magnetic diffusivity, typically located at or below the bottom of the convection zone.…
Barotropic rotation and radiative equilibrium are mutually incompatible in stars. The issue is often addressed by allowing for a meridional circulation, but this is not devoid of theoretical complications. Models of rotation in the Sun…
It is generally believed that sunspots are the emergent part of magnetic flux tubes in the solar interior. These tubes are created at the base of the convection zone and rise to the surface due to their magnetic buoyancy. The motion of…
The linear stability of a shear layer in a highly diffusive stably stratified atmosphere has been investigated. This study completes and extends previous works by Dudis (1974) and Jones (1977). We show that: (i) an asymptotic regime is…
Parker's analytic Cartesian interface dynamo is generalized to the case of a shear layer of finite thickness and low resistivity ("tachocline"), bounded by a perfect conductor ("radiative zone") on the one side, and by a highly diffusive…