NUMERICALLY DETERMINED TRANSPORT LAWS FOR FINGERING (“THERMOHALINE”) CONVECTION IN ASTROPHYSICS
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NUMERICALLY DETERMINED TRANSPORT LAWS FOR FINGERING (“THERMOHALINE”) CONVECTION IN ASTROPHYSICS. / Traxler, A.; Garaud, P.; Stellmach, S.
In: The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 728, L29, 2011.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - NUMERICALLY DETERMINED TRANSPORT LAWS FOR FINGERING (“THERMOHALINE”) CONVECTION IN ASTROPHYSICS
AU - Traxler, A.
AU - Garaud, P.
AU - Stellmach, S.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - We present the first three-dimensional simulations of fingering convection performed at parameter values approaching those relevant for astrophysics. Our simulations reveal the existence of simple asymptotic scaling laws for turbulent heat and compositional transport, which can be straightforwardly extrapolated from our numerically tractable values to the true astrophysical regime. Our investigation also indicates that thermo-compositional "staircases," a key consequence of fingering convection in the ocean, cannot form spontaneously in the fingering regime in stellar interiors. Our proposed empirically determined transport laws thus provide simple prescriptions for mixing by fingering convection in a variety of astrophysical situations, and should, from here on, be used preferentially over older and less accurate parameterizations. They also establish that fingering convection does not provide sufficient extra-mixing to explain observed chemical abundances in red giant branch stars.
AB - We present the first three-dimensional simulations of fingering convection performed at parameter values approaching those relevant for astrophysics. Our simulations reveal the existence of simple asymptotic scaling laws for turbulent heat and compositional transport, which can be straightforwardly extrapolated from our numerically tractable values to the true astrophysical regime. Our investigation also indicates that thermo-compositional "staircases," a key consequence of fingering convection in the ocean, cannot form spontaneously in the fingering regime in stellar interiors. Our proposed empirically determined transport laws thus provide simple prescriptions for mixing by fingering convection in a variety of astrophysical situations, and should, from here on, be used preferentially over older and less accurate parameterizations. They also establish that fingering convection does not provide sufficient extra-mixing to explain observed chemical abundances in red giant branch stars.
U2 - 10.1088/2041-8205/728/2/l29
DO - 10.1088/2041-8205/728/2/l29
M3 - Journal article
VL - 728
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
SN - 0004-637X
M1 - L29
ER -
ID: 336753215