Double-diffusive convection in Astrophysics
Pascale Garaud (UC Santa Cruz) - April 1, 2013 at 12:10 pm
I will present a number of new results concerning the transport of heat
and chemical composition by double-diffusive convection (DDC). DDC is a
slow mixing process that occurs when a system is thermally and compositionally stratified,
but in opposite ways, and in such a way that the total density stratification of the system is stable.
Thermohaline convection and semi-convection are two examples of DDC, and can be studied
using very similar formalisms. They are important in a large number of astrophysical objects, ranging
from giant planets to massive stars. I will review our group's recent work on characterizing transport
by small-scale DDC, and on understanding the spontaneous emergence of large-scale dynamics such as
layer formation, and large-scale internal wave excitation.
The seminar will be held in B-5 Hearst Field Annex.
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