The Advection of Supergranules by Large-Scale Flows

TL;DR

This paper presents a simulation of solar surface flows that accurately reproduces observed supergranule advection and rotation patterns without assuming wave-like behavior, aiding understanding of solar dynamics.

Contribution

The study introduces a realistic simulation of supergranule advection by large-scale flows, matching observational data without incorporating wave-like properties.

Findings

Simulated data reproduces observed rotation characteristics.

The model captures the evolution of cellular flow patterns.

Supergranule advection explained without wave assumptions.

Abstract

We produce a 10-day series of simulated Doppler images at a 15-minute cadence that reproduces the spatial and temporal characteristics seen in the SOHO/MDI Doppler data. Our simulated data contains a spectrum of cellular flows with but two necessary components --- a granule component that peaks at wavenumbers of about 4000 and a supergranule component that peaks at wavenumbers of about 110. We include the advection of these cellular components by a differential rotation profile that depends on latitude and wavenumber (depth). We further mimic the evolution of the cellular pattern by introducing random variations to the amplitudes and phases of the spectral components at rates that reproduce the level of cross-correlation as a function of time and latitude. Our simulated data do not include any wave-like characteristics for the supergranules yet can accurately reproduce the rotation characteristics previously attributed to wave-like characteristics.