Angular momentum transport in pre-main-sequence stars of intermediate mass

Pre-Main-Sequence stars with masses between 2 and 5 M (Herbig Ae/Be stars) have radiative subphotospheric envelopes. However, they possess strong stellar winds and show definite signs of activity which could be linked to surface magnetic field. Therefore, they must lose angular momentum at a significant rate.We investigate the effect of such angular momentum losses on the internal structure of these stars, and on the distribution of angular velocity inside them. This paper presents a preliminary analysis guided by an analogy with laboratory and geophysical fluids. We propose that the friction exerted at the stellar surface by the angular momentum losses produces a mixed layer below the surface, separated from the unperturbed interior by an interface. Using scaling laws established by experimental studies of sheared stratified fluids, we discuss a simplified model for the evolution of the mixed layer.Although this model is still too preliminary to allow quantitative predictions, we show that for a reasonable choice of parameters, the mixed layer penetrates into the stellar interior on a time-scale of 10⁶ years, comparable to the Kelvin time-scale for the Herbig Ae/Be stars.     

Estimation of dynamic friction and movement history of large landslides

We performed seismic waveform inversions and numerical landslide simulations of deep-seated landslides in Japan to understand the dynamic evolution of friction of the landslides. By comparing the forces obtained from a numerical simulation to those resolved from seismic waveform inversion, the coefficient of friction during sliding was well-constrained between 0.3 and 0.4 for landslides with volumes of 2–8 ×10⁶ m³. We obtained similar coefficients of friction for landslides with similar scale and geology, and they are consistent with the empirical relationship between the volume and dynamic coefficient of friction obtained from the past studies. This hybrid method of the numerical simulation and seismic waveform inversion shows the possibility of reproducing or predicting the movement of a large-scale landslide. Our numerical simulation allows us to estimate the velocity distribution for each time step. The maximum velocity at the center of mass is 12–36 m/s and is proportional to the square root of the elevation change at the center of mass of the landslide body, which suggests that they can be estimated from the initial DEMs. About 20% of the total potential energy is transferred to the kinetic energy in our volume range. The combination of the seismic waveform inversion and the numerical simulation helps to obtain the well-constrained dynamic coefficients of friction and velocity distribution during sliding, which will be used in numerical models to estimate the hazard of potential landslides.     

Simulation of Tsaoling landslide, Taiwan, based on Saint Venant equations over general topography

The 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake triggered the catastrophic Tsaoling landslide in Taiwan. The geomorphological change measured from the data of the 1989 and 2000 aerial photos reveals that the scar and deposit volumes are about 0.126 km³ and 0.15 km³ respectively. The debris material ran over a distance of 1.6 km with 500 m descent in elevation. In this paper, we use the continuum model of hydraulic flow, SHALTOP^2D, based on the equations of Bouchut and Westdickenberg to simulate numerically the landslide dynamics. When the mass is moving, the flow is assumed hydrostatic with a basal Coulomb friction. The best fit is obtained using the basal friction angle equal to 6°, the only parameter of the simulation, uniformly applied in the calculation domain. The landslide front reaches the Chinshui river valley, the foothill of the slope, within only about 25 s after initiation and the motion settles in about 113 s. The maximum speed is estimated 75 m/s. The spreading of the deposit agrees well with the field measurement.     

Density fluctuations measured by ISEE 1–2 in the Earth’s magnetosheath and the resultant scattering of radio waves

Radio waves undergo angular scattering when they propagate through a plasma with fluctuating density. We show how the angular scattering coefficient can be calculated as a function of the frequency spectrum of the local density fluctuations. In the Earths magnetosheath, the ISEE 1–2 propagation experiment measured the spectral power of the density fluctuations for periods in the range 300 to 1 s, which produce most of the scattering. The resultant local angular scattering coefficient can then be calculated for the first time with realistic density fluctuation spectra, which are neither Gaussian nor power laws. We present results on the variation of the local angular scattering coefficient during two crossings of the dayside magnetosheath, from the quasi-perpendicular bow shock to the magnetopause. For a radio wave at twice the local electron plasma frequency, the scattering coefficient in the major part of the magnetosheath is b(2f_p) 0.5–4 × 10^–9 rad²/m. The scattering coefficient is about ten times stronger in a thin sheet (0.1 to IR_E) just downstream of the shock ramp, and close to the magnetopause.     

Numerical simulation of the 30–45 ka debris avalanche flow of Montagne Pelée volcano,Martinique: from volcano flank collapse to submarine emplacement

Natural Hazards - In November 2015, China government announced that the national carbon emissions trading market is expected to start in 2017. Carbon emission trading system is a raising concern...     

Analytical Solution for Testing Debris Avalanche Numerical Models

—We present here the analytical solution of a one-dimensional dam-break problem over inclined planes. This solution is used to test a numerical model developed for debris avalanches. We consider a dam with infinite length in one direction where material is released from rest at the initial instant. We solve analytically and numerically the depth-averaged long-wave equations derived in a topography-linked coordinate system. The numerical and analytical solutions provide for a Coulomb-type friction law at the base of the flow. The analytical solution is obtained by using the method of characteristics and describes the flow over a constant slope, provided that the angle is higher than the friction angle. The numerical model utilizes a finite-difference method based on a Godunov-type scheme. Comparison between analytical and numerical results illustrates the remarkable stability and precision of the numerical method as well as its ability to deal with strong discontinuities.     

Short Note: Precision and Convergence of a Steady Two-Dimensional Ice Sheet Flow Model

Ice-sheet flow is described by the Navier–Stokes equations. We present here an analytical solution for a very simple configuration of two-dimensional ice sheet flow. It is obtained for an imposed flat surface elevation and for a linear flow law. This analytical solution is used here to estimate the performance and precision of a two-dimensional ice sheet flow model. In particular, the comparison of this 2D ice sheet flow model with the analytical solution has allowed to test all the terms involved in the mechanical equations. This analytical solution may be very useful to test similar types of models.     

Latitudinal distribution of the solar wind properties in the low- and high-pressure regimes: Wind observations

The solar wind properties depend on , the heliomagnetic latitude with respect to the heliospheric current sheet (HCS), more than on the heliographic latitude. We analyse the wind properties observed by Wind at 1 AU during about 2.5 solar rotations in 1995, a period close to the last minimum of solar activity. To determine , we use a model of the HCS which we fit to the magnetic sector boundary crossings observed by Wind. We find that the solar wind properties mainly depend on the modulus ||. But they also depend on a local parameter, the total pressure (magnetic pressure plus electron and proton thermal pressure). Furthermore, whatever the total pressure, we observe that the plasma properties also depend on the time: the latitudinal gradients of the wind speed and of the proton temperature are not the same before and after the closest HCS crossing. This is a consequence of the dynamical stream interactions. In the low pressure wind, at low ||, we find a clear maximum of the density, a clear minimum of the wind speed and of the proton temperature, a weak minimum of the average magnetic field strength, a weak maximum of the average thermal pressure, and a weak maximum of the average factor. This overdense sheet is embedded in a density halo. The latitudinal thickness is about 5° for the overdense sheet, and 20° for the density halo. The HCS is thus wrapped in an overdense sheet surrounded by a halo, even in the non-compressed solar wind. In the high-pressure wind, the plasma properties are less well ordered as functions of the latitude than in the low-pressure wind; the minimum of the average speed is seen before the HCS crossing. The latitudinal thickness of the high-pressure region is about 20°. Our observations are qualitatively consistent with the numerical model of Pizzo for the deformation of the heliospheric current sheet and plasma sheet.     

Exact solution for granular flows

In this paper, we present the exact solution of the Riemann problem for the nonlinear one‐dimensional so‐called shallow‐water or Saint‐Venant equations with friction proposed by SAVAGE and HUTTER to describe debris avalanches. This model is based on the depth‐averaged thin layer approximation of granular flows over sloping beds and takes into account a Coulomb type friction law with a constant friction coefficient. A particular configuration of the Riemann problem corresponds to a dam of infinite length in one direction from which granular material is released from rest at a given time over an inclined rigid or erodible bed. We solve analytically and numerically the depth‐averaged long‐wave equations derived in a topography‐linked coordinate system for all the possible Riemann problems. The detailed mathematical proof of the derivation of the analytical solutions and the analysis of their structure and properties is intended, first of all, for geophysicists, mathematicians, and physicists because of the possible extension of this study to more complex problems (geometries, friction laws, …). The numerical solution of the first‐order finite‐volume method based on a Godunov‐type scheme is compared with the proposed exact Riemann problem solution. This solution is used to solve the dam‐break problem and analyze the influence of the thickness of the erodible bed on the speed of the granular front. Comparison with existing experimental results shows that, for an erodible bed, the equations lack fundamental physical significance to reproduce the observed dynamics of erosive granular flows. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.