Solar Convection.

Abstract

A thorough study of convective penetration into the solar atmosphere and convective motions in sub-atmospheric layers on the sun was made. Non-linear anelastic and Boussinesq modal equations were developed and solved to describe solar and stellar convection. An explanation was developed for the lack of penetration of large-scale convective motions into the observable solar atmosphere through the discovery of buoyancy braking near the top of a supposedly unstable layer. Observations of motions in the solar atmosphere led to the discovery of a new scale of solar motion, the so-called mesogranulation. A technique was developed to use changes in the solar five-minute oscillations as a probe of internal solar structure. Using this technique, large-scale, subatmospheric convective eddies were discovered.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 30, 1984
Accession Number
ADA155214

Entities

People

  • J. Toomre
  • K. B. Gebbie

Organizations

  • University of Colorado Boulder

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheres
  • Chromosphere
  • Convection
  • Frequency
  • Giant Cells
  • Layers
  • Measurement
  • Observatories
  • Photosphere
  • Solar Atmosphere
  • Solar Physics
  • Solar Structure
  • Spectra
  • Spectral Lines
  • Stratified Fluids
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Turbulence

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • Solar Physics
  • Theoretical Analysis.