Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T15:13:07.686Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The near-surface shear layer (NSSL) of the Sun: a theoretical model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2024

Arnab Rai Choudhuri  and
Bibhuti Kumar Jha Open the ORCID record for Bibhuti Kumar Jha [Opens in a new window]
Arnab Rai Choudhuri*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
Bibhuti Kumar Jha*
Affiliation:
Southwest Research Institute, Boulder CO 80302, USA
*
email: arnab@iisc.ac.in
email: arnab@iisc.ac.in
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We present a theoretical model of the near-surface shear layer (NSSL) of the Sun. Convection cells deeper down are affected by the Sun’s rotation, but this is not the case in a layer just below the solar surface due to the smallness of the convection cells there. Based on this idea, we show that the thermal wind balance equation (the basic equation in the theory of the meridional circulation which holds inside the convection zone) can be solved to obtain the structure of the NSSL, matching observational data remarkably well.

Keywords

differential rotationmeridional circulationconvectionnear-surface shear layer
Type
Contributed Paper
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 19 , Symposium S365: Dynamics of Solar and Stellar Convection Zones and Atmospheres , December 2023 , pp. 59 - 62
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Astronomical Union

References

Choudhuri, A. R. 2021a, A Theoretical Estimate of the Pole-Equator Temperature Difference and a Possible Origin of the Near-Surface Shear Layer. Solar Phys., 296(2), 37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choudhuri, A. R. 2021b, The meridional circulation of the Sun: Observations, theory and connections with the solar dynamo. Science China Physics, Mechanics, and Astronomy, 64(3), 239601.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guerrero, G., Smolarkiewicz, P. K., Kosovichev, A. G., & Mansour, N. N. 2013, Differential Rotation in Solar-like Stars from Global Simulations. ApJ, 779(2), 176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hotta, H., Rempel, M., & Yokoyama, T. 2015, High-resolution Calculation of the Solar Global Convection with the Reduced Speed of Sound Technique. II. Near Surface Shear Layer with the Rotation. ApJ, 798(1), 51.Google Scholar
Jha, B. K. & Choudhuri, A. R. 2021, A theoretical model of the near-surface shear layer of the Sun. MNRAS, 506(2), 2189–2198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kitchatinov, L. L. & Ruediger, G. 1995, Differential rotation in solar-type stars: revisiting the Taylor-number puzzle. A&A, 299, 446.Google Scholar
Kuhn, J. R., Libbrecht, K. G., & Dicke, R. H. 1988, The Surface Temperature of the Sun and Changes in the Solar Constant. Science, 242(4880), 908–911.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matilsky, L. I., Hindman, B. W., & Toomre, J. 2019, The Role of Downflows in Establishing Solar Near-surface Shear. ApJ, 871(2), 217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rast, M. P., Ortiz, A., & Meisner, R. W. 2008, Latitudinal Variation of the Solar Photospheric Intensity. ApJ, 673(2), 1209–1217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar