Vortex rings and the solar granulation

Observations indicate that solar granules have the flow topology of updraft vortex loops. We interpret granule behavior in terms of the mutual and self-interactions of such loops. In particular, the expansion phase that granules commonly undergo is explained by the self-expansion of a vortex ring in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Astrophysical journal Vol. 422; no. 2; p. 862
Main Author Arendt, Steve
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Legacy CDMS 20.02.1994
Subjects
Solar Physics
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Summary:Observations indicate that solar granules have the flow topology of updraft vortex loops. We interpret granule behavior in terms of the mutual and self-interactions of such loops. In particular, the expansion phase that granules commonly undergo is explained by the self-expansion of a vortex ring in a stratified fluid. For a range of granular parameters, we find that the expansion velocity of a vortex ring varies from 0.7 to 1.5 times the maximum surface flow velocity, in agreement with granule observations. We also present speculation on the nature of granule fragmentation.
Bibliography:CDMS
Legacy CDMS
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1086/173778