23 research outputs found
Planetesimals Born Big by Clustering Instability?
Roughly 100km diameter primitive bodies (today's asteroids and TNOs; [1]) are thought to be the end product of so-called "primary accretion". They dominated the initial mass function of planetesimals, and precipitated the onset of a subsequent stage, characterized by runaway gravitational effects, which proceeded onwards to planetary mass objects, some of which accreted massive gas envelopes. Asteroids are the parents of primitive meteorites; meteorite data suggest that asteroids initially formed directly from freelyfloating nebula particles in the mm-size range. Unfortunately, the process by which these primary 100km diameter planetesimals formed remains problematic. We review the most diagnostic primitive parent body observations, highlight critical aspects of the nebula context, and describe the issues facing various primary accretion models. We suggest a path forward that combines current scenarios of "turbulent concentration" (TC) and "streaming instabilities" (SI) into a triggered formation process we call clustering instability (CI). Under expected conditions of nebula turbulence, the success of these processes at forming terrestrial region (mostly silicate) planetesimals requires growth by sticking into aggregates in the several cm size range, at least, which is orders of magnitude more massive than allowed by current growth-by-sticking models using current experimental sticking parameters [2-4]. The situation is not as dire in the ice-rich outer solar system; however, growth outside of the snowline has important effects on growth inside of it [4] and at least one aspect of outer solar system planetesimals (high binary fraction) supports some kind of clustering instability
Local helioseismology of sunspot regions: comparison of ring-diagram and time-distance results
Local helioseismology provides unique information about the subsurface
structure and dynamics of sunspots and active regions. However, because of
complexity of sunspot regions local helioseismology diagnostics require careful
analysis of systematic uncertainties and physical interpretation of the
inversion results. We present new results of comparison of the ring-diagram
analysis and time-distance helioseismology for active region NOAA 9787, for
which a previous comparison showed significant differences in the subsurface
sound-speed structure, and discuss systematic uncertainties of the measurements
and inversions. Our results show that both the ring-diagram and time-distance
techniques give qualitatively similar results, revealing a characteristic
two-layer seismic sound-speed structure consistent with the results for other
active regions. However, a quantitative comparison of the inversion results is
not straightforward. It must take into account differences in the sensitivity,
spatial resolution and the averaging kernels. In particular, because of the
acoustic power suppression, the contribution of the sunspot seismic structure
to the ring-diagram signal can be substantially reduced. We show that taking
into account this effect reduces the difference in the depth of transition
between the negative and positive sound-speed variations inferred by these
methods. Further detailed analysis of the sensitivity, resolution and averaging
properties of the local helioseismology methods is necessary for consolidation
of the inversion results. It seems to be important that both methods indicate
that the seismic structure of sunspots is rather deep and extends to at least
20 Mm below the surface, putting constraints on theoretical models of sunspots.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Journal of Physics: Conference
Series (JPCS) GONG 2010 - SoHO 24 "A new era of seismology of the Sun and
solar-like stars", June 27 - July 2, 2010 Aix-en-Provence, Franc
Systematic Bias in Helioseismic Measurements of Meridional Circulation Arising from Nonlocal Averaging Kernels
Meridional circulation in the solar convection zone plays a profound role in
regulating the interior dynamics of the Sun and its magnetism. While it is well
accepted that meridional flows move from the equator towards the poles at the
Sun's surface, helioseismic observations have yet to provide a definitive
answer for the depth at which those flows return to the equator, or the number
of circulation cells in depth. In this work, we investigate whether the
discrepancies regarding the nature of the return flow are intrinsic to how
helioseismic observations are made. We examine the seismic signature of
possible meridional flow profiles by convolving time-distance averaging kernels
with the mean flows obtained from 3-D hydrodynamic simulations of the solar
convection zone. At mid and high latitudes, we find that weak flow structures
in the deeper regions of the convection zone can be strongly obscured by signal
from the much stronger surface flows. This contamination is the result of
extended side lobes in the averaging kernels and generates a spurious
equatorward signal of 2--3 m s at those latitudes, and at depth. At low latitudes, however, the flows in the simulations
tend to be stronger and multiple cells across the shell depth can produce a
sufficiently strong seismic signal to survive the convolution process. The
signal associated with the deep equatorward return flow in the Sun is expected
to be weak and in the same sense as the contamination from the surface. Hence,
the return flow needs to exceed -- in magnitude
for reported detections to be considered significant.Comment: Submitted to AAS Journal
Reconstruction of Solar Subsurfaces by Local Helioseismology
Local helioseismology has opened new frontiers in our quest for understanding
of the internal dynamics and dynamo on the Sun. Local helioseismology
reconstructs subsurface structures and flows by extracting coherent signals of
acoustic waves traveling through the interior and carrying information about
subsurface perturbations and flows, from stochastic oscillations observed on
the surface. The initial analysis of the subsurface flow maps reconstructed
from the 5 years of SDO/HMI data by time-distance helioseismology reveals the
great potential for studying and understanding of the dynamics of the quiet Sun
and active regions, and the evolution with the solar cycle. In particular, our
results show that the emergence and evolution of active regions are accompanied
by multi-scale flow patterns, and that the meridional flows display the
North-South asymmetry closely correlating with the magnetic activity. The
latitudinal variations of the meridional circulation speed, which are probably
related to the large-scale converging flows, are mostly confined in shallow
subsurface layers. Therefore, these variations do not necessarily affect the
magnetic flux transport. The North-South asymmetry is also pronounced in the
variations of the differential rotation ("torsional oscillations"). The
calculations of a proxy of the subsurface kinetic helicity density show that
the helicity does not vary during the solar cycle, and that supergranulation is
a likely source of the near-surface helicity.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, in "Cartography of the Sun and the Stars",
Editors: Rozelot, Jean-Pierre, Neiner, Corali
Advances in Global and Local Helioseismology: an Introductory Review
Helioseismology studies the structure and dynamics of the Sun's interior by
observing oscillations on the surface. These studies provide information about
the physical processes that control the evolution and magnetic activity of the
Sun. In recent years, helioseismology has made substantial progress towards the
understanding of the physics of solar oscillations and the physical processes
inside the Sun, thanks to observational, theoretical and modeling efforts. In
addition to the global seismology of the Sun based on measurements of global
oscillation modes, a new field of local helioseismology, which studies
oscillation travel times and local frequency shifts, has been developed. It is
capable of providing 3D images of the subsurface structures and flows. The
basic principles, recent advances and perspectives of global and local
helioseismology are reviewed in this article.Comment: 86 pages, 46 figures; "Pulsation of the Sun and Stars", Lecture Notes
in Physics, Vol. 832, Rozelot, Jean-Pierre; Neiner, Coralie (Eds.), 201
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Assessing the Observability of Deep Meridional Flow Cells in the Solar Interior
Abstract:
Meridional circulation regulates the Sunâs interior dynamics and magnetism. While it is well accepted that meridional flows are poleward at the Sunâs surface, helioseismic observations have yet to provide a definitive answer for the depth at which those flows return to the equator, or the number of circulation cells in depth. Here, we explore the observability of multiple circulation cells stacked in radius. Specifically, we examine the seismic signature of several meridional flow profiles by convolving timeâdistance averaging kernels with mean flows obtained from a suite of 3D hydrodynamic simulations. At mid and high latitudes, we find that weak flow structures in the deep convection zone can be obscured by signals from the much stronger surface flows. This contamination of 1â2 m sâ1 is caused by extended side lobes in the averaging kernels, which produce a spurious equatorward signal with flow speeds that are 1 order of magnitude stronger than the original flow speeds in the simulations. At low latitudes, the flows in the deep layers of the simulations are stronger (>2 m sâ1) and multiple cells across the convection zone can produce a sufficiently strong signal to survive the convolution process. Now that meridional flows can be measured over two decades of data, the uncertainties arising from convective noise have fallen to a level where they are comparable in magnitude to the systematic biases caused by nonlocal features in the averaging kernels. Hence, these systematic errors are beginning to influence current helioseismic deductions and need broader consideration