Identification

Title

Meridional circulation in solar and stellar convection zones

Abstract

We present a series of 3D nonlinear simulations of solar-like convection, carried out using the Anelastic Spherical Harmonic code, that are designed to isolate those processes that drive and shape meridional circulations (MCs) within stellar convection zones. These simulations have been constructed so as to span the transition between solar-like differential rotation (DR; fast equator/slow poles) and "anti-solar" DR (slow equator/fast poles). Solar-like states of DR, which arise when convection is rotationally constrained, are characterized by a very different convective Reynolds stress (RS) than anti-solar regimes, wherein convection only weakly senses the Coriolis force. We find that the angular momentum transport by convective RS plays a central role in establishing the meridional flow profiles in these simulations. We find that the transition from single-celled to multi-celled MC profiles in strong and weak regimes of rotational constraint is linked to a change in the convective RS, which is a clear demonstration of gyroscopic pumping. Latitudinal thermal variations differ between these different regimes, with those in the solar-like regime conspiring to suppress a single cell of MC, whereas the cool poles and warm equator established in the anti-solar states tend to promote single-celled circulations. Although the convective angular momentum transport becomes radially inward at mid-latitudes in anti-solar regimes, it is the MC that is primarily responsible for establishing a rapidly rotating pole. We conclude with a discussion of how these results relate to the Sun, and suggest that the Sun may lie near the transition between rapidly rotating and slowly rotating regimes.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7s46t4n

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2015-05-01T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

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name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact