Spherical-shell boundaries for two-dimensional compressible convection in a star

TL;DR

This study uses realistic stellar models to simulate two-dimensional spherical-shell compressible convection, revealing how boundary placement affects convective velocities and overshooting, with implications for stellar evolution modeling.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of boundary placement on convective dynamics in stellar models using realistic profiles, advancing the understanding of 321D stellar evolution link.

Findings

Including the radiative-convective boundary reduces convective velocities.

Near-surface layers can increase convective velocities depending on small-scale convection.

Larger convective velocities lead to wider overshooting layers and shorter convective turnover times.

Abstract

Context: We study the impact of two-dimensional spherical shells on compressible convection. Realistic profiles for density and temperature from a one-dimensional stellar evolution code are used to produce a model of a large stellar convection zone representative of a young low-mass star. Methods: We perform hydrodynamic implicit large-eddy simulations of compressible convection using the MUltidimensional Stellar Implicit Code (MUSIC). Because MUSIC has been designed to use realistic stellar models produced from one-dimensional stellar evolution calculations, MUSIC simulations are capable of seamlessly modeling a whole star. Simulations in two-dimensional spherical shells that have different radial extents are performed over hundreds of convective turnover times, permitting the collection of well-converged statistics. Results: We evaluate basic statistics of the convective turnover time, the convective velocity, and the overshooting layer. These quantities are selected for their relevance to one-dimensional stellar evolution calculations, so that our results are focused toward the 321D link. The inclusion in the spherical shell of the boundary between the radiative and convection zones decreases the amplitude of convective velocities in the convection zone. The inclusion of near-surface layers in the spherical shell can increase the amplitude of convective velocities, although the radial structure of the velocity profile established by deep convection is unchanged. The impact from including the near-surface layers depends on the speed and structure of small-scale convection in the near-surface layers. Larger convective velocities in the convection zone result in a commensurate increase in the overshooting layer width and decrease in the convective turnover time. These results provide support for non-local aspects of convection.