797 research outputs found
Dynamo models and differential rotation in late-type rapidly rotating stars
Increasing evidence is becoming available about not only the surface
differential rotation of rapidly rotating cool stars but, in a small number of
cases, also about temporal variations, which possibly are analogous to the
solar torsional oscillations. Given the present difficulties in resolving the
precise nature of such variations, due to both the short length and poor
resolution of the available data, theoretical input is vital to help assess the
modes of behaviour that might be expected, and will facilitate interpretation
of the observations. Here we take a first step in this direction by studying
the variations in the convection zones of such stars, using a two dimensional
axisymmetric mean field dynamo model operating in a spherical shell in which
the only nonlinearity is the action of the azimuthal component of the Lorentz
force of the dynamo generated magnetic field on the stellar angular velocity.
We consider three families of models with different depths of dynamo-active
regions. For moderately supercritical dynamo numbers we find torsional
oscillations that penetrate all the way down to the bottom of the convection
zones, similar to the case of the Sun. For larger dynamo numbers we find
fragmentation in some cases and sometimes there are other dynamical modes of
behaviour, including quasi-periodicity and chaos. We find that the largest
deviations in the angular velocity distribution caused by the Lorentz force are
of the order of few percent, implying that the original assumed `background'
rotation field is not strongly distorted.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics, in pres
Mean Field Dynamos with Algebraic and Dynamic alpha-Quenchings
Calculations for mean field dynamo models (in both full spheres and spherical
shells), with both algebraic and dynamic --quenchings, show qualitative
as well as quantitative differences and similarities in the dynamical behaviour
of these models. We summarise and enhance recent results with extra examples.
Overall, the effect of using a dynamic appears to be complicated and
is affected by the region of parameter space examined.Comment: 6 pages, 2 postscript figures, also available at
http://www.maths.qmw.ac.uk/~eo
Dynamical variations of the differential rotation in the solar convection zone
Recent analyses of helioseismological observations seem to suggest the
presence of two new phenomena connected with the dynamics of the solar
convective zone. Firstly, there are present torsional oscillations with periods
of about 11 years, which penetrate significantly into the solar convection zone
and secondly, oscillatory regimes exist near the base of the convection which
are markedly different from those observed near the top, having either
significantly reduced periods or being non-periodic.
Recently spatiotemporal fragmentation/bifurcation has been proposed as a
possible dynamical mechanism to account for such observed multi-mode behaviours
in different parts of the solar convection zone. Evidence for this scenario was
produced in the context of an axisymmetric mean field dynamo model operating in
a spherical shell, with a semi-open outer boundary condition and a zero order
angular velocity obtained by the inversion of the MDI data, in which the only
nonlinearity was the action of the Lorentz force of the dynamo generated
magnetic field on the solar angular velocity.
Here we make a detailed study of the robustness of this model with respect to
plausible changes to its main ingredients, including changes to the alpha and
eta profiles as well as the inclusion of a nonlinear alpha quenching. We find
that spatiotemporal fragmentation is present in this model for different
choices of the rotation data and as the details of the model are varied. Taken
together, these results give strong support to the idea that spatiotemporal
fragmentation is likely to occur in general dynamo settings.Comment: 14 pages, 30 figures, submitted to Astronomy and Astrophysics, also
available at http://www.eurico.web.co
Effects of boundary conditions on the dynamics of the solar convection zone
Recent analyses of the helioseismic data have produced evidence for a variety of interesting dynamical behaviour associated with torsional oscillations. What is not so far clear is whether these oscillations extend all the way to the bottom of the convection zone and, if so, whether the oscillatory behaviour at the top and the bottom of the convection zone is different. Attempts have been made to understand such modes of behaviour within the framework of nonlinear dynamo models which include the nonlinear action of the Lorentz force of the dynamo generated magnetic field on the solar angular velocity. One aspect of these models that remains uncertain is the nature of the boundary conditions on the magnetic field. Here by employing a range of physically plausible boundary conditions, we show that for near-critical and moderately supercritical dynamo regimes, the oscillations extend all the way down to the bottom of the convection zone. Thus, such penetration is an extremely robust feature of the models considered. We also find parameter ranges for which the supercritical models show spatiotemporal fragmentation for a range of choices of boundary conditions. Given their observational importance, we also make a comparative study of the amplitude of torsional oscillations as a function of the boundary conditions
Solar rotation rate and its gradients during cycle 23
Available helioseismic data now span almost the entire solar activity cycle
23 making it possible to study solar-cycle related changes of the solar
rotation rate in detail. In this paper we study how the solar rotation rate, in
particular, the zonal flows change with time. In addition to the zonal flows
that show a well known pattern in the solar convection zone, we also study
changes in the radial and latitudinal gradients of the rotation rate,
particularly in the shear layer that is present in the immediate sub-surface
layers of the Sun. In the case of the zonal-flow pattern, we find that the band
indicating fast rotating region close to the equator seems to have bifurcated
around 2005. Our investigation of the rotation-rate gradients show that the
relative variation in the rotation-rate gradients is about 20% or more of their
average values, which is much larger than the relative variation in the
rotation rate itself. These results can be used to test predictions of various
solar dynamo models.Comment: To appear in ApJ. Fig 5 has been corrected in this versio
Structure and Evolution of Giant Cells in Global Models of Solar Convection
The global scales of solar convection are studied through three-dimensional
simulations of compressible convection carried out in spherical shells of
rotating fluid which extend from the base of the convection zone to within 15
Mm of the photosphere. Such modelling at the highest spatial resolution to date
allows study of distinctly turbulent convection, revealing that coherent
downflow structures associated with giant cells continue to play a significant
role in maintaining the strong differential rotation that is achieved. These
giant cells at lower latitudes exhibit prograde propagation relative to the
mean zonal flow, or differential rotation, that they establish, and retrograde
propagation of more isotropic structures with vortical character at mid and
high latitudes. The interstices of the downflow networks often possess strong
and compact cyclonic flows. The evolving giant-cell downflow systems can be
partly masked by the intense smaller scales of convection driven closer to the
surface, yet they are likely to be detectable with the helioseismic probing
that is now becoming available. Indeed, the meandering streams and varying
cellular subsurface flows revealed by helioseismology must be sampling
contributions from the giant cells, yet it is difficult to separate out these
signals from those attributed to the faster horizontal flows of
supergranulation. To aid in such detection, we use our simulations to describe
how the properties of giant cells may be expected to vary with depth, how their
patterns evolve in time, and analyze the statistical features of correlations
within these complex flow fields.Comment: 22 pages, 16 figures (color figures are low res), uses emulateapj.cls
Latex class file, Results shown during a Press release at the AAS meeting in
June 2007. Submitted to Ap
In--out intermittency in PDE and ODE models
We find concrete evidence for a recently discovered form of intermittency,
referred to as in--out intermittency, in both PDE and ODE models of mean field
dynamos. This type of intermittency (introduced in Ashwin et al 1999) occurs in
systems with invariant submanifolds and, as opposed to on--off intermittency
which can also occur in skew product systems, it requires an absence of skew
product structure. By this we mean that the dynamics on the attractor
intermittent to the invariant manifold cannot be expressed simply as the
dynamics on the invariant subspace forcing the transverse dynamics; the
transverse dynamics will alter that tangential to the invariant subspace when
one is far enough away from the invariant manifold.
Since general systems with invariant submanifolds are not likely to have skew
product structure, this type of behaviour may be of physical relevance in a
variety of dynamical settings.
The models employed here to demonstrate in--out intermittency are
axisymmetric mean--field dynamo models which are often used to study the
observed large scale magnetic variability in the Sun and solar-type stars. The
occurrence of this type of intermittency in such models may be of interest in
understanding some aspects of such variabilities.Comment: To be published in Chaos, June 2001, also available at
http://www.eurico.web.co
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