Related papers: Model of deep zonal flows in giant planets
Local generation of vorticity occurs in rotating density-stratified fluids as fluid parcels move radially, expanding or contracting with respect to the background density stratification. Thermal convection in rotating 2D equatorial…
We consider the effect of stratification on systematic, large-scale flows generated in anelastic convection. We present results from three-dimensional numerical simulations of convection in a rotating plane layer in which the angle between…
In 1D evolution models of gas giant planets, an outer convection zone advances into the interior as the surface cools, and multiple convective layers form beneath that convective front. To study layer formation below an outer convection…
The Sun's axisymmetric large-scale flows, differential rotation and meridional circulation, are thought to be maintained by the influence of rotation on the thermal-convective motions in the solar convection zone. These large-scale flows…
Observations of brown dwarfs and relatively isolated young extrasolar giant planets have provided unprecedented details to probe atmospheric dynamics in a new regime. Questions about mechanisms governing global circulation remain to be…
It is widely accepted that astrophysical magnetic fields are generated by dynamo action. In many cases these fields exhibit organisation on a scale larger than that of the underlying turbulent flow (e.g., the eleven-year solar cycle). The…
The generation of mean flows is a long-standing issue in rotating fluids. Motivated by planetary objects, we consider here a rapidly rotating fluid-filled spheroid, which is subject to weak perturbations of either the boundary (e.g. tides)…
Three-dimensional numerical simulations show that large-scale latent heating resulting from condensation of water vapor can produce multiple zonal jets similar to those on the gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn) and ice giants (Uranus and…
The solar convection zone exhibits a strong level of differential rotation, whereby the rotation period of the polar regions is about 25-30% longer than the equatorial regions. The Coriolis force associated with these zonal flows…
Tidal dissipation in planetary interiors is one of the key physical mechanisms that drive the evolution of star-planet and planet-moon systems. Tidal dissipation in planets is intrinsically related to their internal structure. In…
Observations of the meridional circulation of the Sun, which plays a key role in the operation of the solar dynamo, indicate that its speed varies with the solar cycle, becoming faster during the solar minima and slower during the solar…
During the past few years, both the Cassini mission at Saturn and the Juno mission at Jupiter, provided measurements with unprecedented accuracy of the gravity and magnetic fields of the two gas giants. Using the gravity measurements, it…
Meridional circulation in stellar convection zones is not generally well observed, but may be critical for MHD dynamos. Coriolis forces from differential rotation (DR) play a large role in determining what the meridional circulation is.…
The interior flux of a giant planet impacts atmospheric motion, and the atmosphere dictates the interior's cooling. Here we use a non-hydrostatic general circulation model (Simulating Nonhydrostatic Atmospheres on Planets, SNAP) coupled…
We study, by means of extensive direct numerical simulations, the turbulent flow produced by a two-dimensional cellular forcing in a cubic box with periodic boundary conditions. In spite of the strong anisotropy of the forcing, we find that…
For rapidly rotating turbulent Rayleigh--B\'enard convection in a slender cylindrical cell, experiments and direct numerical simulations reveal a boundary zonal flow (BZF) that replaces the classical large-scale circulation. The BZF is…
During 2016-17 the Juno and Cassini spacecraft will both perform close eccentric orbits of Jupiter and Saturn, respectively, obtaining high-precision gravity measurements for these planets. This data will be used to estimate the depth of…
A new, frequency modulation mechanism for zonal flow pattern formation is presented. The model predicts the probability distribution function of the flow strength as well as the evolution of the characteristic spatial scale. Magnetic…
Ground-based and spacecraft telescopic observations, combined with an intensive modeling effort, have greatly enhanced our understanding of hot giant planets and brown dwarfs over the past ten years. Although these objects are all fluid,…
We present measurements performed in a spherical shell filled with liquid sodium, where a 74 mm-radius inner sphere is rotated while a 210 mm-radius outer sphere is at rest. The inner sphere holds a dipolar magnetic field and acts as a…