Rotating Waves in Spherical Geometry: Thermal Convection in Thin Rotating Shells and the Magnetized Spherical Couette System


Rotating Waves in Spherical Geometry: Thermal Convection in Thin Rotating Shells and the Magnetized Spherical Couette System

Garcia Gonzalez, F.; Sánchez, J.; Net, M.; Chambers, F.; Watts, A.; Stefani, F.

Fluid dynamics plays an important role in many geophysical and astrophysical objects such as planets and stars. For instance, convection can occur in neutron stars' oceans formed by very thin layers of helium or hydrogen, which are subject to the influence of strong temperature gradients and rotation. In addition, instabilities observed in differentially rotating flows in the presence of a magnetic field (magnetized spherical Couette flows) were attributed to the magnetorotational instability (MRI), which is presently considered the most promising candidate to explain the transport mechanism of angular momentum in accretion disks around black holes and protostars. In this study, bifurcation diagrams of the first instabilities occurring in the two mentioned set-ups will be presented. They were obtained by means of continuation techniques. The arising flow patterns will be described. In both cases, pseudo-spectral high order methods as well as high order time integration methods are used for the time evolution of the Navier-Stokes equations.

  • Lecture (Conference)
    International Conference on Spectral and High-Order Methods ICOSAHOM'18., 09.-13.07.2018, London, United Kingdom

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Publ.-Id: 28769