Related papers: Solid-liquid phase change in planetary cores

An overview of selected topical problems on modelling oscillation properties in solar-like stars is presented. High-quality oscillation data from both space-borne intensity observations and ground-based spectroscopic measurements provide…

In this paper we have explored computationally the solidification process of large nickel clusters. This process has the characteristic features of the first order phase transition occurring in a finite system. The focus of our research is…

When particles settle through a stable temperature or salinity gradient they can drive an instability known as sedimentary fingering convection. This phenomenon is thought to occur beneath sediment-rich river plumes in lakes and oceans, in…

Ice is a major component of astrophysical environment - from interstellar molecular clouds through protoplanetary disks to evolved solar systems. Ice and complex organic matter coexist in these environments as well, and it is thought…

In planetary fluid cores, the density depends on temperature and chemical composition, which diffuse at very different rates. This leads to various instabilities, bearing the name of double-diffusive convection. We investigate rotating…

Two-phase flow systems in porous media have complex dynamics. It is well established that a wide range of system parameters like viscosities and porosity as well as flow parameters such as pressure gradient and fluid saturation have strong…

The phase behaviour and dynamics of molecular ionic liquids are studied using primitive models and extensive computer simulations. The models account for size disparity between cation and anion, charge location on the cation, and…

Magma oceans are a common result of the high degree of heating that occurs during planet formation. It is thought that almost all of the large rocky bodies in the Solar System went through at least one magma ocean phase. In this paper, we…

Planetary obliquity (axial tilt) plays an important role in regulating the climate evolution and habitability of water-covered planets. Despite the suspicion of large obliquities in several exoplanetary systems, this phenomenon remains hard…

Context. The level of porosity of interstellar ices - largely comprised of amorphous solid water (ASW) - contains clues on the trapping capacity of other volatile species and determines the surface accessibility that is needed for solid…

Young terrestrial planets, when they are still embedded in a circumstellar disk, accumulate an atmosphere of nebula gas. The evolution and eventual evaporation of the protoplanetary disk affect the structure and dynamics of the planetary…

We wish to understand the processes that control the fluid flows of a gravitationally contracting and rotating star or giant planet. We consider a spherical shell containing an incompressible fluid that is slowly absorbed by the core so as…

The statistical mechanics of phase transitions in dense systems of polydisperse particles presents distinctive challenges to computer simulation and analytical theory alike. The core difficulty, namely dealing correctly with particle size…

The ongoing discovery of terrestrial exoplanets accentuates the importance of studying planetary evolution for a wide range of initial conditions. We perform thermal evolution simulations for generic terrestrial planets with masses ranging…

The primary distinction between solid and liquid phases is mechanical rigidity, with liquids having a disordered atomic structure that allows flow. While melting is a common phase transition, its microscopic mechanisms still remain unclear.…

We explore the conditions prevailing in primordial planets in the framework of the HGD cosmologies as discussed by Gibson and Schild. The initial stages of condensation of planet-mass H-4He gas clouds in trillion-planet clumps is set at…

We consider the nature of the fluid-solid phase transition in a polydisperse mixture of hard spheres. For a sufficiently polydisperse mixture crystallisation occurs with simultaneous fractionation. At the fluid-solid boundary, a broad fluid…

Mineral dissolution in porous media coupled with single- or multi-phase flows is pervasive in natural and engineering systems including carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and acid stimulation in reservoir engineering. Dissolution of…

Magnetic fields have been observed in massive Ap/Bp stars and presumably are also present in the radiative zone of solar-like stars. Yet, to date there is no clear understanding of the dynamics of the magnetic field in stably stratified…

The dilute fluid phase of model globular proteins is studied. The model possesses a fluid-fluid transition buried within the fluid-crystal coexistence region, as do some globular proteins. If this fluid-fluid transition is not buried deep…