Outward transport of angular momentum by gas convection and the equatorial acceleration of the Sun

A new mechanism for sustaining enhanced rotational velocity of the outer layers of the solar convective envelope is considered.The gas density inside turbulent eddies decreases because of centrifugal scattering of matter. The decrease of density in eddies rotating in the same sense as the Sun on the whole is larger than that in eddies rotating in the opposite sense. As a result, the former ascend while the latter sink down, thus producing a continuous outward flux of angular momentum.A distribution of angular velocity in the radius of the solar convective envelope in the equatorial plane was obtained in the approximation of the mixing length theory of thermal convection. The results agree rather well with observations.     

On convection in the sun

Convective motions driven by a superadiabatic temperature gradient in a viscous thermally conductive medium are considered. Approximate linearized equations governing the perturbation are derived under the following conditions: (i) The ratio of the excess temperature gradient over the adiabatic gradient is small compared with the gradient itself, (ii) The perturbation is of low-frequency type, (iii) The rotation is slow. Only the convective mode is described by these equations (as in the Boussinesq approximation), and the equations are valid for compressible configurations with any ratio between the scale heights of the equilibrium and perturbed quantities. Results of a numerical calculation of unstable perturbations for configurations with a large density stratification are given. They show that under conditions appropriate for the solar convection zone an extremely strong instability is expected to occur if the mixing length is assumed to be equal to 1.5 times the pressure scale height. The horizontal scale of the instability is intermediate between those of granulation and supergranulation. The larger the mixing length, the smaller the growth rate of the instability, and the larger its horizontal scale. Therefore it seems possible to adjust the mixing length to obtain the characteristics corresponding to those of the solar supergranulation. The possible origin of the granulation as an instability in a subsurface zone, where a local increase in the density scale height takes place, is also discussed. To achieve agreement with observations, it seems necessary to assume that the ratio of the mixing length to pressure scale height is an increasing function of the pressure.     

Adiabatic vibrational frequencies of local and nonlocal convection models of the sun

The eigen-vibrational frequencies of Xiong Da-run's nonlocal and local convection models of solar envelope are calculated and compared. The differences between the observational and theoretical vibrational frequencies are less than 1%. They can be divided into two isolated groups. For modes with l ≥ 60, all the differences between observed and theoretical eigen-vibrational frequencies are distributed in a narrow and inclined belt in the (Δv ≈ v)-diagram. This shows that the theoretical model of solar convective region can approximately reflect the intrinsic structure of the sun in the region of r = (0.70–0.95)R. The discrepancies between the theoretical and observational frequencies come from the outer layers. For modes with l < 60, the theoretical vibrational frequency is smaller than the observational one. This implies that the temperature of the upper part of the convectively unstable region is rather low. The frequency difference is more dispersed in the local convection model than in the nonlocal convection model. For the intermediate- and low-frequency ranges (v < 3000), the difference between the two models is small, while for the high-frequency range (v ≥ 3000) the frequency in the local model is higher than in the nonlocal model. This means that the temperature of the radiation region beneath the convective region is higher in the local convection model than in the nonlocal convection model. The nonlocal model is nearer to the observation than the local model.     

On a difference of the chromospheric background intensity between the equatorial and polar regions of the sun

Small chromospheric emission centres (here defined as flocculi) were studied photometrically on K _{2, 3, 2} spectroheliograms taken at the Arcetri Observatory. The intensity ratio between I _fl, the flocculus brightness, and I _chr, the brightness of the chromospheric background, was determined. A difference was found between the polar and the equatorial limb values of the ratio I _fl/I _chr.     

Long term variation of the solar equatorial velocity and its relation to non-axisymmetric convection

The long term variations of solar equatorial velocity are considered, as determined by spectroscopic observations of several authors since 1900. By eliminating Storey's observations covering the period 1914–1932 which seem to be affected by casual errors, a computer analysis picks out a period of about 34 yr in the velocity variation.An interpretation is given of this period in the framework of the interaction of non-axisymmetric convection with rotation.     

Turbulent convection in rapidly rotating spherical shells: A model for equatorial and high latitude jets on Jupiter and Saturn

The origin of zonal jets on the jovian planets has long been a topic of scientific debate. In this paper we show that deep convection in a spherical shell can generate zonal flow comparable to that observed on Jupiter and Saturn, including a broad prograde equatorial jet and multiple alternating jets at higher latitudes. We present fully turbulent, 3D spherical numerical simulations of rapidly rotating convection with different spherical shell geometries. The resulting global flow fields tend to be segregated into three regions (north, equatorial, and south), bounded by the tangent cylinder that circumscribes the inner boundary equator. In all of our simulations a strong prograde equatorial jet forms outside the tangent cylinder, whereas multiple jets form in the northern and southern hemispheres, inside the tangent cylinder. The jet scaling of our numerical models and of Jupiter and Saturn is consistent with the theory of geostrophic turbulence, which we extend to include the effect of spherical shell geometry. Zonal flow in a spherical shell is distinguished from that in a full sphere or a shallow layer by the effect of the tangent cylinder, which marks a reversal in the sign of the planetary β-parameter and a jump in the Rhines length. This jump is manifest in the numerical simulations as a sharp equatorward increase in jet widths—a transition that is also observed on Jupiter and Saturn. The location of this transition gives an estimate of the depth of zonal flow, which seems to be consistent with current models of the jovian and saturnian interiors.     

Inhomogeneous model of the photosphere

A new method for the construction of empirical models of photosphere is developed starting with a first approximation called ‘multicolumn’. The old idea of two or three column models is thus kept but completed by the following ideas: - A good photograph of granulation is a fair representation of topological features along x and y. - Vertical distributions T(z), P(z) cannot be very much different from distributions given by stellar atmosphere models in radiative and hydrostatic equilibrium. The sampling interval (200 km) is such that a ‘granule’ is represented by 10 to 30 columns. Horizontal transfer is computed explicitly at each point. Corrections are introduced in the model but are not of significant importance: temperature differences of 1000 K or more at the same geometrical depth in the τ = 1 region are compatible with a life time of the order of 10 min. The importance of pressure is emphasized: significant pressure excess in the granule is suggested a priori. Results tend to confirm this hypothesis.     

Determination of the equatorial velocity and inclination of the equatorial plane of an astrophysical object in space

N. É. Bauman Scientific-Research Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 227–232, March–April, 1991.     

Longitudinal variation of the equatorial anomaly

The present analysis concerns the longitudinal variation in the development and decay of the equatorial anomaly as observed by the Ariel 3 satellite. Data from about seven hundred equatorial passes of the satellite were used to give a broad longitudinal and local time coverage.     

Regularization of the equatorial magnetic-binary problem

The differential equations which describe the equatorial motion of a particle in a magnetic-binary system are regularized by a transformation of the dependent and independent variables. The new equations of motion, which are simpler than the original ones, with only linear velocity and acceleration terms occurring, show the invariant form of the law of motion. Finally, the distinction between the zero-velocity curves and the isotachs in the transformed space is also discussed.     

YO molecule in the sun

Vibrational transition probabilities, namely Franck—Condon factors and -centroids have been evaluated by an approximate analytical method for the (A–X), (A–X), and (A–X) system of YO molecule. Morse potential energy curves forX ²⁺,A ²₂,A²₂, andA²₂, states of YO have been constructed using the latest spectroscopic data. The value of -centroids for the band have been found to decrease linearly with the corresponding wavelengths. We show results for two new transitions of (A–X) and (A–X) and five new bands of (A–X) of YO in the umbral spectrum of the Sun.     

Grazing incidence spectra of the sun

Intensity calibrated grazing incidence spectrographs have been flown on three Skylark sounding rockets to record the solar soft X-ray and XUV spectra over a wide wavelength range. This paper describes the instrumentation and calibration procedures, and presents wavelength and intensity data, for each of the flights.     

Energetic particles from the sun

This paper discusses solar cosmic ray phenomena and related topics from the solar physical point of view. Basic physics of the solar atmosphere and solar flare phenomena are, therefore, considered in some detail. Since solar cosmic rays are usually produced by solar flares, we must first understand the processes and mechanism of solar flares, especially the so-called proton flares, in order to understand the acceleration mechanism of solar cosmic rays and their behaviour in both the solar atmosphere and interplanetary space. For this reason, detailed discussion is given on various phenomena associated with solar flares, proton flare characteristics, and the mechanism of solar flares.Since the discovery of solar cosmic rays by Forbush, the interplanetary space has been thought of as medium in which solar cosmic rays propagate. In this paper, the propagation of solar cosmic rays in this space is, therefore, discussed briefly by referring to the observed magnetic properties of this space. Finally, some problems related to the physics of galactic cosmic rays are discussed.Astrophysics and Space Science Review Paper.     

Isotopes of samarium in the sun

Terrestrial samarium consists of seven isotopes. Some spectral lines from Sm have isotope shifts and hyperfine structures that will modify the profile of the absorption lines in the Fraunhofer spectrum. The photospheric spectrum around the Sm ii lines at 4467 and 4519 Å has been studied. Although it is impossible to derive the solar abundance of each individual isotope, it is shown that a terrestrial isotopic composition can account for the anomal line width and asymmetry of the observed solar lines. The solar abundance found from the two lines is A(Sm) = 1.54 in the logarithmic A(H) = 12.00 scale.     

Large-scale motions in the sun

Large-scale solar motions comprise differential rotation (with latitudinal, and perhaps radial gradients), axially symmetric meridional motions, and possible asymmetric motions (giant convective cells or Rossby-type waves or both). These motions must be basic in any satisfactory theory of the changing pattern of solar magnetic fields and of the 22-yr cycle. In the present paper available data are discussed and, as far as possible, evaluated and explained.Rotational measurements are based on the changing positions of discrete features such as sunspots, on Doppler shifts, on geophysical changes and on statistical evaluation of the motions of diffuse objects. The first mentioned, comprising faculae, sunspots, K-corona (to latitudes 45°) and filaments, show agreement better than 0.7 %. A new formula for surface rotation _s , based on faculae and sunspot data, is _s = 14.52 – 2.48 sin² b – 2.51 sin⁶ b deg day^–1, where b is latitude, and validity may extend to about 70°. Errors in Doppler shift measurements and statistical treatments are discussed. There is evidence of a much slower coronal rate at high latitudes, and of a slower sub-surface rate at lower latitudes.Ordered meridional motions have been revealed by statistical investigations of the positions of spot groups, of spots and of filaments. All these results seem explicable in terms of an oscillating hydro-magnetic circulation in each hemisphere. These have both 11-yr and 22-yr components, and these periods are provided by a general dipole field of about one gauss, together with a pair of toroidal fields centred at latitudes ±16° and of average strength of order 10 G.Evidence of large-scale (perhaps 3 × 10⁵ km), irregular surface motions is provided by the distribution of surface magnetic flux, the motions of sunspots, and Doppler-shift observations; it is supported by Ward's theory of the equatorial acceleration. The possibility is suggested that these asymmetric motions also drive the oscillatory meridional motions.     

Ridges and scarps in the equatorial belt of Mars

The morphology and distribution of ridges and scarps on Mars in the ± 30° latitude belt were investigated. Two distinct types of ridges were recognized. The first is long and linear, resembling mare ridges on the Moon; it occurs mostly in plains areas. The other is composed of short, anastomosing segments and occurs mostly in ancient cratered terrain and intervening plateaus. Where ridges are eroded, landscape configurations suggest that they are located along regional structures. The age of ridges is uncertain, but some are as young as the latest documented volcanic activity on Mars. The origins of ridges are probably diverse-they may result from wrinkling due to compression or from buckling due to settling over subsurface structures. The similar morphologic expressions of ridge types of various origins may be related to a similar deformation mechanism caused by two main factors: (1) most ridges are developed in thick layers of competent material and (2) ridges formed under stresses near a free surface.     

Rotations of the sun and stars and their activity

An equation for determining the magnetic activity cycle for the lower main-sequence stars is derived on the basis of the results of an analysis of magnetic structure drift with the solar activity cycle. The equation correlates the star activity cycle with the period of its rotation T _rot, the B?V color index, and the average chromospheric emission level 〈R′_HK>. The activity cycles for 30 stars (14 young and 16 old) entering the Wilson sample are calculated. The calculated magnetic activity cycles are found to be in good agreement with the observed ones.     

Total electron content of the equatorial ionosphere

Total electron content (N_t) variations in the ionosphere above the magnetic equator (Thumba dip 0.6°S) obtained by the Faraday rotation measurements of beacon signals from S66 satellites are described for the period December 1965–August 1968. The N_t value reaches a minimum around 05 hr and a broad maximum between 14–18 hr, the diurnal ratio being more than 20. During no-echo condition at pre-sunrise hours, N_t is found to be abnormally low. The equivalent slab-thickness at Thumba is between 150 and 250 km except around 14 hr when it reaches a high value around 500 km. The electrons are almost equally distributed above and below the peak for the daytime hours, but in the latter part of the night the ratio of top-side to the bottom-side electron content exceeds the value of 5. This high ratio is suggested as being due to very low value of maximum electron density which during the pre-sunrise period becomes comparable to the electron density at great heights where there is no diurnal change of electron density. Combining the data of Thumba and Ahmedabad, the diurnal development of the equatorial anomaly in N_t is described.     

The equatorial equilibrium-configurations of the magnetic-binary problem

The equilibrium-configurations of the Magnetic-Binary problem are investigated in the case of equatorial motion. The law of this constrained motion is derived and then the procedure for localizing the equilibrium points is developed. The type of equilibrium is also studied by means of the known method of variational equations.