Global Turbulent Solar Convection: a Numerical Path Investigating Key Force Balances in the context of the Convective Conundrum

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Noraz, Quentin, Brun, Allan Sacha, Strugarek, Antoine
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Noraz, Quentin
Brun, Allan Sacha
Strugarek, Antoine
author_facet Noraz, Quentin
Brun, Allan Sacha
Strugarek, Antoine
contents Understanding solar turbulent convection and its influence on differential rotation has been a challenge over the past two decades. Current models often overestimate giant convection cells amplitude, leading to an effective Rossby number too large and a shift towards an anti-solar rotation regime. This Convective Conundrum, underscores the need for improved comprehension of solar convective dynamics. We propose a numerical experiment in the parameter space that controls $Ro$ while increasing the Reynolds number ($Re$) and maintaining solar parameters. By controlling the Nusselt number ($Nu$), we limit the energy transport by convection while reducing viscous dissipation. This approach enabled us to construct a Sun-like rotating model (SBR97n035) with strong turbulence ($Re \sim 800$) that exhibits prograde equatorial rotation and aligns with observational data from helioseismology. We compare this model with an anti-solar rotating counterpart, and provide an in-depth spectral analysis to investigate the changes in convective dynamics. We also find the appearance of vorticity rings near the poles, which existence on the Sun could be probed in the future. The Sun-like model shows reduced buoyancy over the spectrum, as well as an extended quasi-geostrophic equilibrium towards smaller scales. This promotes a Coriolis-Inertia (CI) balance rather than a Coriolis-Inertia-Archimedes (CIA) balance, in order to favor the establishment of a prograde equator. The presence of convective columns in the bulk of the convection zone, with limited surface manifestations, also hints at such structures potentially occurring in the Sun.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_13169
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Global Turbulent Solar Convection: a Numerical Path Investigating Key Force Balances in the context of the Convective Conundrum
Noraz, Quentin
Brun, Allan Sacha
Strugarek, Antoine
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Understanding solar turbulent convection and its influence on differential rotation has been a challenge over the past two decades. Current models often overestimate giant convection cells amplitude, leading to an effective Rossby number too large and a shift towards an anti-solar rotation regime. This Convective Conundrum, underscores the need for improved comprehension of solar convective dynamics. We propose a numerical experiment in the parameter space that controls $Ro$ while increasing the Reynolds number ($Re$) and maintaining solar parameters. By controlling the Nusselt number ($Nu$), we limit the energy transport by convection while reducing viscous dissipation. This approach enabled us to construct a Sun-like rotating model (SBR97n035) with strong turbulence ($Re \sim 800$) that exhibits prograde equatorial rotation and aligns with observational data from helioseismology. We compare this model with an anti-solar rotating counterpart, and provide an in-depth spectral analysis to investigate the changes in convective dynamics. We also find the appearance of vorticity rings near the poles, which existence on the Sun could be probed in the future. The Sun-like model shows reduced buoyancy over the spectrum, as well as an extended quasi-geostrophic equilibrium towards smaller scales. This promotes a Coriolis-Inertia (CI) balance rather than a Coriolis-Inertia-Archimedes (CIA) balance, in order to favor the establishment of a prograde equator. The presence of convective columns in the bulk of the convection zone, with limited surface manifestations, also hints at such structures potentially occurring in the Sun.
title Global Turbulent Solar Convection: a Numerical Path Investigating Key Force Balances in the context of the Convective Conundrum
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.13169