Issue |
A&A
Volume 399, Number 2, February IV 2003
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 743 - 748 | |
Section | The Sun | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20021809 | |
Published online | 07 February 2003 |
Differential rotation and meridional flow in the solar supergranulation layer: Measuring the eddy viscosity
1
Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, An der Sternwarte 16, 14482 Potsdam, Germany
2
Department of Mathematics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, PR China
Corresponding author: G. Rüdiger, mkueker@aip.de
Received:
8
July
2002
Accepted:
22
November
2002
We measure the eddy viscosity in the outermost layers of the solar convection
zone by comparing the rotation law computed with the Reynolds stress resulting
from f-plane simulations of the angular momentum transport in rotating
convection with the observed differential rotation pattern. The simulations
lead to a negative vertical and a positive horizontal angular
momentum transport. The consequence is a subrotation of the outermost layers,
as it is indeed indicated both by helioseismology and the observed rotation
rates of sunspots. In order to reproduce the observed gradient of the rotation
rate, a value of about cm2/s for the eddy viscosity is
necessary. Comparison with the magnetic eddy diffusivity derived from the
sunspot decay yields a surprisingly large magnetic Prandtl number of 150 for
the supergranulation layer. The negative gradient of the rotation rate also
drives a surface meridional flow towards the poles, in agreement with the
results from Doppler measurements. The successful reproduction of the
abnormally positive horizontal cross correlation (on the northern hemisphere)
observed for bipolar groups then provides an independent test of the resulting
eddy viscosity.
Key words: turbulence / Sun: rotation
© ESO, 2003
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