Angular Momentum Redistribution by Waves in the Sun
- 1 August 1999
- journal article
- Published by American Astronomical Society in The Astrophysical Journal
- Vol. 520 (2) , 859-870
- https://doi.org/10.1086/307464
Abstract
We calculate the angular momentum transport by gravito-inertial-Alfv\'en waves and show that, so long as prograde and retrograde gravity waves are excited to roughly the same amplitude, the sign of angular momentum deposit in the radiative interior of the Sun is such as to lead to an exponential growth of any existing small radial gradient of rotation velocity just below the convection zone. This leads to formation of a strong thin shear layer (of thickness about 0.3% R_\odot) near the top of the radiative zone of the Sun on a time-scale of order 20 years. When the magnitude of differential rotation across this layer reaches about 0.1 \mu Hz, the layer becomes unstable to shear instability and undergoes mixing, and the excess angular momentum deposited in the layer is returned to the convection zone. The strong shear in this layer generates toroidal magnetic field which is also deposited in the convection zone when the layer becomes unstable. This could possibly start a new magnetic activity cycle seen at the surface.Comment: 21 pages and 6 figures. To appear in ApKeywords
All Related Versions
This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
- Gravity Waves in a Magnetized Shear LayerThe Astrophysical Journal, 1998
- Seismology of the base of the solar convection zoneMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1997
- Angular Momentum Transport by Gravity Waves and Its Effect on the Rotation of the Solar InteriorThe Astrophysical Journal, 1997
- Excitation of solar p-modesThe Astrophysical Journal, 1994
- Angular Momentum Transport in Magnetized Stellar Radiative Zones. II. The Solar Spin-downThe Astrophysical Journal, 1993
- Wave generation by turbulent convectionThe Astrophysical Journal, 1990
- Mixing by shear instabilities in differentially rotating inhomogeneous stars with application to accreting white dwarf models for novaeThe Astrophysical Journal, 1983
- Radiative and other effects from internal waves in solar and stellar interiorsThe Astrophysical Journal, 1981
- An Updated Theory for the Quasi-Biennial Cycle of the Tropical StratosphereJournal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 1972