330 research outputs found
Thermohaline mixing and fossil magnetic fields in red giant stars
We discuss the occurence and consequences of thermohaline mixing in RGB stars, as well as the possible inhibition of this process by a fossil magnetic field in Ap star descendant
Angular momentum transport in the sun through meridian circulation
We investigated the transport of angularmomentum in the radiative interior of the Sun through the mecanism describ by ZAhn (1992), namely the meridian circulation driven by the solar wind and the turbulance caused by the shear instabilities due to the differential rotation
Thermohaline mixing: A physical mechanism governing the photospheric composition of low-mass giants
Numerous spectroscopic observations provide compelling evidence for a
non-canonical mixing process that modifies the surface abundances of Li, C and
N of low-mass red giants when they reach the bump in the luminosity function.
Eggleton et al. (2006) have proposed that a molecular weight inversion created
by the 3He(3He,2p)4He reaction may be at the origin of this mixing, and relate
it to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. In the present work we argue that one is
actually dealing with a double diffusive instability referred to as
thermohaline convection and we discuss its influence on the red giant branch.
We compute stellar models of various initial metallicities using the
prescription by Ulrich (1972) (extended to the case of a non-perfect gas) for
the turbulent diffusivity produced by the thermohaline instability in stellar
radiation zones. Thermohaline mixing simultaneously accounts for the observed
behaviour of the carbon isotopic ratio and of the abundances of Li, C and N on
the upper part of the red giant branch. It reduces significantly the 3He
production with respect to canonical evolution models as required by
measurements of 3He/H in galactic HII regions. Thermohaline mixing is a
fundamental physical process that must be included in stellar evolution
modeling.Comment: Letter accepted for publication in A&A; for full resolution figures
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Detection and resolution of normative conflicts in multi-agent systems : a literature survey
Peer reviewedPostprin
Impact of Gender and Ethnic Composition of South African Boards of Directors on Intellectual Capital Performance
This study examines the association between the gender and ethnic composition of boards of directors and firm performance in a transitional nation. In contrast to prior research that largely focuses on firm performance within a financial context, this study concentrates on intellectual capital performance. Using data collected from 84 South African, empirical results indicate a positive association between the percentage of female and non-white directors on the board and a firmâs intellectual capital performance. Additional analysis shows the designation of female directors as an insider has a negative effect of intellectual capital performance. Designation of female and non-white directors as outsiders, meanwhile, has a positive influence on a firmâs intellectual capital performance. Finally, there was no association between the percentage of non-white inside directors on the board and intellectual capital performance
Angular momentum transport by internal waves in the solar interior
The internal gravity waves of low frequency which are emitted at the base of
the solar convection zone are able to extract angular momentum from the
radiative interior. We evaluate this transport with some simplifying
assumptions: we ignore the Coriolis force, approximate the spectrum of
turbulent convection by the Kolmogorov law, and couple this turbulence to the
internal waves through their pressure fluctuations, following Press (1981) and
Garcia Lopez & Spruit (1991). The local frequency of an internal wave varies
with depth in a differentially rotating star, and it can vanish at some
location, thus leading to enhanced damping (Goldreich & Nicholson 1989). It is
this dissipation mechanism only that we take into account in the exchange of
momentum between waves and stellar rotation. The flux of angular momentum is
then an implicit function of depth, involving the local rotation rate and an
integral representing the cumulative effect of radiative dissipation. We find
that the efficiency of this transport process is rather high: it operates on a
timescale of 10^7 years, and is probably responsible for the flat rotation
profile which has been detected through helioseismology.Comment: 9 pages latex file using l-aa.sty, 2 postscript figures, accepted by
A&
Angular momentum extraction by gravity waves in the Sun
We review the behavior of the oscillating shear layer produced by gravity
waves below the surface convection zone of the Sun. We show that, under
asymmetric filtering produced by this layer, gravity waves of low spherical
order, which are stochastically excited at the base of the convection zone of
late type stars, can extract angular momentum from their radiative interior.
The time-scale for this momentum extraction in a Sun-like star is of the order
of 10^7 years. The process is particularly efficient in the central region, and
it could produce there a slowly rotating core.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figues, accepted by Astrophysical Journal Letter, 26 June
200
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