Related papers: Near-surface shear layer dynamics
The Sun's internal rotation {\Omega}(r,{\Theta}) has previously been measured using helioseismology techniques and found to be a complex function of co-latitude, {\theta}, and radius, r. From helioseismology and observations of apparently…
Supergranulation on the surface of the Sun is an organized cellular flow pattern with a characteristic scale of 30 Mm. It is superficially similar to the well understood granulation that operates at the 1.5 Mm natural scale of convection,…
Selected topics in solar dynamo theory are being highlighted. The possible relevance of the near-surface shear layer is discussed. The role of turbulent downward pumping is mentioned in connection with earlier concerns that a…
The gradient of rotation in the near-surface shear layer (NSSL) of the Sun provides valuable insights into the dynamics associated with the solar activity cycle and the dynamo. Results obtained with global oscillation mode-splittings lack…
The location of the solar dynamo is discussed in the context of new insights into the theory of nonlinear turbulent dynamos. It is argued that, from a dynamo-theoretic point of view, the bottom of the convection zone is not a likely…
Context: Observations indicate that the `quiet' solar photosphere outside active regions contains considerable amounts of magnetic energy and magnetic flux, with mixed polarity on small scales. The origin of this flux is unclear. Aims: We…
Understanding effects driven by rotation in the solar convection zone is essential for many problems related to solar activity, such as the formation of differential rotation, meridional circulation, and others. We analyze realistic 3D…
Magnetic flux emergence from the convection zone into the photosphere and beyond is a critical component of the behaviour of large-scale solar magnetism. Flux rarely emerges amid field-free areas at the surface, but when it does, the…
Surface convection is important for the presence of magnetic activity at stars. So far, this convection is thought to be a result of heating from below, where convection cells rise and break up. New models reveal that surface convection is…
The Sun's global meridional circulation is evident as a slow poleward flow at its surface. This flow is observed to carry magnetic elements poleward - producing the Sun's polar magnetic fields as a key part of the 11-year sunspot cycle.…
Recently, we have developed a method useful for mapping large-scale horizontal velocity fields in the solar photosphere. The method was developed, tuned and calibrated using the synthetic data. Now, we applied the method to the series of…
In the solar convection zone, rotation couples with intensely turbulent convection to build global-scale flows of differential rotation and meridional circulation. Our sun must have rotated more rapidly in its past, as is suggested by…
Magneto-convection simulations on meso-granule and granule scales near the solar surface are used to study small scale dynamo activity, the emergence and disappearance of magnetic flux tubes, and the formation and evolution of micropores.…
In the solar convection zone, rotation couples with intensely turbulent convection to drive a strong differential rotation and achieve complex magnetic dynamo action. Our sun must have rotated more rapidly in its past, as is suggested by…
The dynamical origins of the Sun's tachocline and near-surface shear layer (NSSL) are still not well understood. We have attempted to self-consistently reproduce a NSSL in numerical simulations of a solar-like convection zone by increasing…
We examine the linear behavior of three-dimensional Lagrangian displacements in a stratified, shearing background. The isentropic and iso-rotation surfaces of the equilibrium flow are assumed to be axisymmetric, but otherwise fully…
This paper describes a series of 3D simulations of shallow inefficient convection in the outer layers of the Sun. The computational domain is a closed box containing the convection-radiation transition layer, located at the top of the solar…
Surface granulation of the Sun is primarily a consequence of thermal transport in the outer 1 % of the radius. Its typical scale of about 1 - 2 Mm is set by the balance between convection, free-streaming radiation, and the strong density…
This paper presents the results of a set of radiative hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations of convection in the near-surface regions of a rapidly rotating star. The simulations use microphysics consistent with stellar models, and include the…
Arguments for and against the widely accepted picture of a solar dynamo being seated in the tachocline are reviewed and alternative ideas concerning dynamos operating in the bulk of the convection zone, or perhaps even in the near-surface…