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Published in

American Physical Society, Physical Review Fluids, 8(2)

DOI: 10.1103/physrevfluids.2.083501

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Convective heat transport in stratified atmospheres at low and high Mach number

Journal article published in 2016 by Evan H. Anders ORCID, Benjamin P. Brown
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Convection in astrophysical systems is stratified and often occurs at high Rayleigh number (Ra) and low Mach number (Ma). Here we study stratified convection in the context of plane-parallel, polytropically stratified atmospheres. We hold the density stratification ($n_{ρ}$) and Prandtl number (Pr) constant while varying Ma and Ra to determine the behavior of the Nusselt number (Nu), which quantifies the efficiency of convective heat transport. As Ra increases and $\text{Ma} → 1$, a scaling of Nu $∝$ Ra$^{0.45}$ is observed. As Ra increases to a regime where Ma $≥ 1$, this scaling gives way to a weaker Nu $∝$ Ra$^{0.19}$. In the regime of Ma $≪ 1$, a consistent Nu $∝$ Ra$^{0.31}$ is retrieved, reminiscent of the Nu $∝$ Ra$^{2/7}$ seen in Rayleigh-Bénard convection. ; Comment: Submitted to PRL