Using a semiconvective model based on thermohaline convection, we investigate the case of an expanding core of a main-sequence massive star. The numerical simulations at high Prandtl number show a flow consistent with the assumption that a dynamically neutral layer sits between the core and the radiative envelope. More simulations at low Prandtl number are needed to infer scaling laws applicable to astrophysical regimes.

The Teff location of Pre-Main Sequence (PMS) evolutionary tracks depends on the treatment of over-adiabaticity. We present here the PMS evolutionary tracks computed by using the mixing length theory of convection (MLT) in which the αMLT = l/Hp parameter calibration is based on 2D–hydrodynamical models (Ludwig et al. 1999). These MLT–α2D stellar models and tracks are very similar to those computed with non–grey ATLAS9 atmospheric boundary conditions and Full Spectrum of Turbulence (FST) convection model both in the atmosphere and in the interior. As for the FST models, the comparison of the new tracks with the location on the HR diagram of pre–MS binaries is not completely satisfactory; and the pre–MS lithium depletion in the MLT–α2D tracks is still much larger than that expected from the observations of lithium in young open clusters. Thus, in spite of the fact that 2D RHD models should provide a better convection description than any local model, their introduction is not sufficient to reconcile theory and observations. Lithium depletion in young clusters points towards a convection efficiency which, in pre–MS, should be smaller than in the MS.

Hydrodynamic and potentially also hydromagnetic instabilities play an important role in core-collapse supernovae. We report on simulations performed to investigate the effects of magnetic fields in simplified models. Furthermore, we present efforts to get rid of problems arising from the coordinate singularity at the symmetry axis and the associated boundary conditions.

In spherical symmetry, very reliable models of stellar core collapse, bounce, and the postbounce phase can be constructed based on general relativistic Boltzmann neutrino transport. However, even if the time-integrated neutrino luminosity in the region between the surface of the protoneutron star and the stalled accretion shock is one or two orders of magnitude larger than the energy of a supernova explosion, it is generally accepted that the net energy transfer is not efficient enough to drive an explosion, unless the fluid instabilities in this regime are taken into account. Complementary to other groups, who are elaborating an extension of the accurate neutrino physics to axisymmetric simulations, we construct efficient parameterizations of the neutrino physics that enable three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamics simulations that do not constrain the fluid instabilities by artificially imposed symmetries. We evaluate our approximations with respect to spherically symmetric Boltzmann neutrino transport, present preliminary MHD simulations with a resolution of 600 zones cubed, and illustrate the questions that can be addressed by this approach.

Excitation of f- and p- modes by Reynolds stresses and entropy fluctuations is reviewed. Approximations made to allow semi-analytic analysis are discussed. The spectrum of solar convection is presented and shown to NOT be separable into independent spatial and temporal factors. An appropriate fitting formula is presented.

Time-distance local helioseismology has been analyzed using numerical simulations. One approach is simulation of solar surface convection on supergranule scales (48 Mm wide by 20 Mm deep). A surface shear layer develops. There is a continuous increase in the horizontal scale of the convective motions with increasing depth. Some small granular scale downflows at the surface are swept sideways by diverging larger scale upflows from below to merge into stronger downdrafts in these larger downflow boundaries. Elsewhere, some granular downflows have to beat their way against the upflows from below are halted. These simulations have a rich spectrum of f- and p- modes that turn within the computational domain. Cross-correlations between each surface location and each location below the surface reveals the wave propagation pattern from the surface. Waves at the surface that propagate into the interior, spread horizontally and are refracted back toward the surface. Time-distance diagrams have been constructed and inverted to determine the subsurface flows, which can then be compared with the average flows in the simulation.

A second approach calculates the propagation of linearized waves through a fixed, but non-uniform, background state. Some examples of such analysis are presented.

Convection strongly influences the periods, stability and amplitudes of pulsation in red giant stars. For example, changing the efficiency of convection (the mixing length parameter) changes the radius and the effective temperature of a red giant, which in turn changes the pulsation period at a given luminosity. Since essentially all the energy flux outside the nuclear-burning core is carried by convection, it is the variation of convective energy transport throughout the pulsation cycle that determines pulsation stability. In both linear and nonlinear pulsation models, the turbulent viscosity that results from the interaction of pulsation with turbulent convection provides a strong damping effect on pulsation and, in nonlinear models, it determines the limiting amplitude. In this paper, these and other topics are discussed.

Excitation of solar-like oscillations is attributed to turbulent convection and takes place at the upper-most part of the outer convective zones. Amplitudes of these oscillations depend on the efficiency of the excitation processes as well as on the properties of turbulent convection. We present past and recent improvements on the modeling of those processes. We show how the mode amplitudes and mode line-widths can bring information about the turbulence in the specific cases of the Sun and α Cen A.

As well as reproducing observable features like solar granulation, 3D simulations can provide useful information for local or non-local stellar modeling. Examples include testing out the mixing length theory in the surface layers, providing the turbulent correction for stellar models of p-mode frequencies, testing eddy viscocity prescriptions used in tidal dissipation models and comparing different closures of higher order moments. Having validated the 3D code with the sun we applied it to other stars. For Procyon A the turbulence is about twice as strong as it is in the Sun (estimated by the peak root mean square vertical velocity which is about 6.5 km/s) and the granules are nearly an order of magnitude larger, with plumes regularly extending down 2-3 pressure scale heights below the surface of Procyon A. An interesting feature of the Procyon simulation is that the horizontal layers in the vicinity of the granules appear to radially pulsate in a quasi-periodic manner. This makes the superadiabatic layer move in and out over a distance of about half a pressure scale height in a time of about 20-30 minutes. This motion appears to be tied to the granulation but there may be other phenomena involved such as some kind of local kappa-mechanism confined to the granulation surface layers. We find similar behaviour in a simulation of an 11 Gyr subgiant sun. As the velocities are more like the sun (about 3km/s), the time period of the pulsation in the subgiant is 2-3 times longer than in Procyon A.

We investigate the possibility of detecting deep convection in the Sun by computing travel-time shifts induced by convective flows interacting with propagating waves. The convection zone is modeled using a velocity profile taken from an Anelastic convection simulation. We present results obtained from a ray calculation of travel-time shifts. We compare these results with a full 3D calculation of the wave-flow interaction.

In order to initiate the discussion after the talks of this session, questions such as ‘what seismology can teach us? Which seismic constrains are needed to test stellar modelling and particularly convection?’ have been asked to the audience.

The Reynolds stress model (RSM) for turbulent convection motion is compared to the MLT in solar model. The free parameters involved in the RSM are also tested with the aid of helioseismology. It is found that, the structure of solar convection zone is differ from the MLT when using the RSM, especially for the Reynolds correlations and the temperature gradient. Both the local and non-local RSM can improve the calculated solar p-mode oscillation frequencies with the appropriate choice of the parameters' value.

Oscillations of stellar p modes excited by turbulent convection are investigated. In the uppermost part of the solar convection zone, radiative cooling is responsible for the formation of turbulent plumes, hence the medium is characterized with downdrafts and updrafts. The motivation is to take the asymmetry of up- and downflows created by turbulent plumes into account through an adapted closure model. We built a generalized two-scale mass-flux model (GTFM) that considers both the skew introduced by the presence of two flows and the effect of turbulence onto each flow. In order to apply the GTFM to the solar case, we introduce the plume dynamics as modelled by Rieutord & Zahn (1995) and construct a closure model with plumes (CMP). The CMP enables to express third- and fourth-order velocity correlation products in terms of the second-order ones. When comparing with 3D numerical simulation results, the CMP improves the agreement for the fourth order moments in comparison with the quasi-normal approximation (QNA) or the classical mass-flux model (MFM). This excitation model reproduces the maximum of the power supplied to solar p modes, when compared with GOLF observations.

Small amplitude variable red giants were discovered long time ago (Eggen 1969, Henry et al. 2000, Jorison et al. 1997). The revolutionary turning point for the study of this type of variable was due to the work of Wood (2000) and Soszyński et al. (2004) based on the very large stellar sample of the Magellanic clouds MACHO project and OGLE photometric data. By using our non-local time-dependent theory of convection (Xiong 1989), we carried out a linear stability survey for red giants with initial mass of M = 1 − 3M⊙. Explanations for the observed variabilities and analysis of mode identifications in red giant stars are presented in this work.

Because PG 2303+243 had not been observed since 1992, we have arranged the mini-campaign of six observatories on PG 2303+243 in 2004 Sep. 5-21 for the more detailed frequency analysis of variations. The amplitudes of the most frequencies change even during the one night and some frequencies can disappear or appear in one year. Probably it is resonance effect. We have estimated 69 frequencies of pulsations and their amplitudes according the observations from 2004 and 36 frequencies and its amplitudes from 2005.

Pulsation frequencies in δ Scuti stars do not fall in the asymptotic domain, therefore, multi-band photometric methods are currently used to identify the pulsation modes. Theoretical photometric amplitude ratios and phase differences between photometric bands depend, however, on the treatment of convection in surface stellar layers. In this poster we present the results of applying the non-adiabatic analysis by Dupret et al. (2003) to δ Scuti stellar models computed by using the FST (Canuto et al. 1996, CGM) treatment of convection in the interior and in the atmosphere. We determine the amplitude ratios and phase difference for several bands in the Strömgren photometric system, and we compare the results obtained with the FST treatment and with the classical Mixing-length theory. We show that the differences in the external thermal structure are clearly reflected in the photometric phase differences.

We present two 3D Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of the convection-radiation transition layer for both the A and the B component of the α Centauri binary system. Theoretical oscillation spectra are then calculated from stellar evolutionary models that include the effects of turbulence based on the LES simulations. By taking both non-seismic and seismic observational constraints into account we discuss the possibility to probe turbulence beyond standard 5mixing-length-theory in a star other than Sun.

Helioseismology has provided very detailed inferences about rotation of the solar interior. Within the convection zone the rotation rate roughly shares the latitudinal variation seen in the surface differential rotation. The transition to the nearly uniformly rotating radiative interior takes place in a narrow tachocline, which is likely important to the operation of the solar magnetic cycle. The convection-zone rotation displays zonal flows, regions of slightly more rapid and slow rotation, extending over much of the depth of the convection zone and converging towards the equator as the solar cycle progresses. In addition, there is some evidence for a quasi-periodic variation in rotation, with a period of around 1.3 yr, at the equator near the bottom of the convection zone.

For a long time it was believed that thermal convection could serve as the driving mechanism for turbulence and angular momentum transport in accretion disks. Even it is meanwhile accepted that convection had to leave that role to the magneto rotational instability, it is still an important effect arising in a realistic treatment of accretion disks, i.e. with proper thermodynamics and radiation transport. We review the history of thermal convection in astrophysical disks and show the relevant analytic and numerical work, including energy transport by convection and the effect of “negative” Reynolds stresses. We will also place the convective instability into the context of the magnetorotational instability and planet–disk interaction.

We examine the effect of rotation on turbulent compressible penetrating convection, motivated by the dynamics of the solar interior. We find that rotation can influence large-scale coherent structures in the turbulent flow whilst leaving the small-scales isotropic. The dynamics in this case are very different from more laminar situations where all scales are rotationally-influenced. This may hint as to why full models of the global solar differential rotation are difficult.

Development of convection in sun's outer shell is caused by reduction of effectiveness of energy transfer by radiation. Traditionally, models of solar convection are considered to be axisymmetric on the scale of solar radius. Such models provide basic understanding of convection under solar conditions. However, interpretation of a number of observable large-scale long-lived solar phenomena requires developing a non-axisymmetric approach. We present such a model in which large-scale non-axisymmetry is caused by large-scale flows such as Rossby waves and vortices. We model flows near the base of the solar convection zone. Anelastic approximation is used, which is valid for flow velocities much smaller than local sound speed. Our three-dimensional numerical simulations show that interaction of convection with large-scale flows leads to the establishment of non-axisymmetric large-scale temperature distribution. The interaction also gives rise to large-scale variations of penetration depth of convective plumes. Generation of the magnetic field by large-scale non-axisymmetric flows can explain such solar phenomena as complexes of activity, active longitudes, drifts of large-scale magnetic fields from equator to the poles, and appearance of distinct rotation periods of magnetic fields at some latitudes. We discuss a possibility of detection of large-scale non-axisymmetric flows and temperature distributions associated with them by the methods of helioseismology.