1,544 research outputs found
On the penetration of meridional circulation below the solar convection zone
Meridional flows with velocities of a few meters per second are observed in
the uppermost regions of the solar convection zone. The amplitude and pattern
of the flows deeper in the solar interior, in particular near the top of the
radiative region, are of crucial importance to a wide range of solar
magnetohydrodynamical processes. In this paper, we provide a systematic study
of the penetration of large-scale meridional flows from the convection zone
into the radiative zone. In particular, we study the effects of the assumed
boundary conditions applied at the convective-radiative interface on the deeper
flows. Using simplified analytical models in conjunction with more complete
numerical methods, we show that penetration of the convectively-driven
meridional flows into the deeper interior is not necessarily limited to a
shallow Ekman depth but can penetrate much deeper, depending on how the
convective-radiative interface flows are modeled.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures. Subitted to Ap
Dynamics of the fast solar tachocline: I. Dipolar field
One possible scenario for the origin of the solar tachocline, known as the
"fast tachocline", assumes that the turbulent diffusivity exceeds eta>10^9
cm^2/s. In this case the dynamics will be governed by the dynamo-generated
oscillatory magnetic field on relatively short timescales. Here, for the first
time, we present detailed numerical models for the fast solar tachocline with
all components of the magnetic field calculated explicitly, assuming axial
symmetry and a constant turbulent diffusivity eta and viscosity nu. We find
that a sufficiently strong oscillatory poloidal field with dipolar latitude
dependence at the tachocline-convective zone boundary is able to confine the
tachocline. Exploring the three-dimensional parameter space defined by the
viscosity in the range log(nu)=9-11, the magnetic Prandtl number in the range
Prm=0.1-10, and the meridional flow amplitude (-3 to +3 cm/s), we also find
that the confining field strength B_conf, necessary to reproduce the observed
thickness of the tachocline, increases with viscosity nu, with magnetic Prandtl
number nu/eta, and with equatorward meridional flow speed. Nevertheless, the
resulting B_conf values remain quite reasonable, in the range 10^3-10^4 G, for
all parameter combinations considered here. The thickness of the tachocline
shows a marked dependence on both time and latitude. A comparison with seismic
constraints suggests that best agreement with our models is achieved for the
highest values of nu and Prm considered here.Comment: 11 page
Phase Transformations in Binary Colloidal Monolayers
Phase transformations can be difficult to characterize at the microscopic
level due to the inability to directly observe individual atomic motions. Model
colloidal systems, by contrast, permit the direct observation of individual
particle dynamics and of collective rearrangements, which allows for real-space
characterization of phase transitions. Here, we study a quasi-two-dimensional,
binary colloidal alloy that exhibits liquid-solid and solid-solid phase
transitions, focusing on the kinetics of a diffusionless transformation between
two crystal phases. Experiments are conducted on a monolayer of magnetic and
nonmagnetic spheres suspended in a thin layer of ferrofluid and exposed to a
tunable magnetic field. A theoretical model of hard spheres with point dipoles
at their centers is used to guide the choice of experimental parameters and
characterize the underlying materials physics. When the applied field is normal
to the fluid layer, a checkerboard crystal forms; when the angle between the
field and the normal is sufficiently large, a striped crystal assembles. As the
field is slowly tilted away from the normal, we find that the transformation
pathway between the two phases depends strongly on crystal orientation, field
strength, and degree of confinement of the monolayer. In some cases, the
pathway occurs by smooth magnetostrictive shear, while in others it involves
the sudden formation of martensitic plates.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures. Soft Matter Latex template was used. Published
online in Soft Matter, 201
[N]pT Monte Carlo Simulations of the Cluster-Crystal-Forming Penetrable Sphere Model
Certain models with purely repulsive pair interactions can form cluster
crystals with multiply-occupied lattice sites. Simulating these models'
equilibrium properties is, however, quite challenging. Here, we develop an
expanded isothermal-isobaric ensemble that surmounts this problem by
allowing both particle number and lattice spacing to fluctuate. We apply the
method with a Monte Carlo simulation scheme to solve the phase diagram of a
prototypical cluster-crystal former, the penetrable sphere model (PSM), and
compare the results with earlier theoretical predictions. At high temperatures
and densities, the equilibrium occupancy of
face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal increases linearly. At low temperatures,
although plateaus at integer values, the crystal
behavior changes continuously with density. The previously ambiguous crossover
around is resolved
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