Core overshooting under the light of fluid dynamics

We discuss the possible contraints that are brought about by a fluid mechanical analysis of the overshooting phenomenon at the interface of convective cores and radiative envelopes of early-type stars. We investigate an improvement of Roxburgh’s criterion by taking into account the viscous dissipation but show that this criterion remains not stringent enough to be predictive. We then discuss the thickness of the overshooting layer and show that all estimates, including the one of Zahn (1991), lead to a very thin mixing layer typically less than a percent of the pressure scale height.

Boussinesq convection in a gaseous spherical shell

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of convection in a spherical shell under the Boussinesq approximation but considering the compressibility which arises from a non zero adiabatic temperature gradient, a relevant quantity for gaseous objects such as stellar or planetary interiors. We find that depth-dependent superiadiabaticity, combined with the use of mixed boundary conditions (fixed flux/fixed temperature), gives rise to unexpected dynamics that were not previously reported.

Angular momentum transport in accretion disks: a hydrodynamical perspective

The radial transport of angular momentum in accretion disk is a fundamental process in the universe. It governs the dynamical evolution of accretion disks and has implications for various issues ranging from the formation of planets to the growth of supermassive black holes. While the importance of magnetic fields for this problem has long been demonstrated, the existence of a source of transport solely hydrodynamical in nature has proven more difficult to establish and to quantify. In recent years, a combination of results coming from experiments, theoretical work and numerical simulations has dramatically improved our understanding of hydrodynamically mediated angular momentum transport in accretion disk. Here, based on these recent developments, we review the hydrodynamical processes that might contribute to transporting angular momentum radially in accretion disks and highlight the many questions that are still to be answered.

On the stability of a general magnetic field topology in stellar radiative zones

This paper provides a brief overview of the formation of stellar fossil magnetic fields and what potential instabilities may occur given certain configurations of the magnetic field. One such instability is the purely magnetic Tayler instability, which can occur for poloidal, toroidal, and mixed poloidal-toroidal axisymmetric magnetic field configurations. However, most of the magnetic field configurations observed at the surface of massive stars are non-axisymmetric. Thus, extending earlier studies in spherical geometry, we introduce a formulation for the global change in the potential energy contained in a convectively-stable region for both axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric magnetic fields.

On the frequency-dependent effective viscosity of laminar and turbulent flows

The efficiency of tidal dissipation in convective zones of stars and giant planets depends, in part, on the response of a three-dimensional fluid flow to the periodic deformation due to the equilibrium tide — a problem considered by Jean-Paul Zahn in his PhD thesis. We review recent results on this problem and present novel calculations based on some idealized models.

The impact of Jean-Paul Zahn discoveries on rotation and evolution

We first review the main effects of stellar rotation on evolution along the fundamental discoveries by Jean-Paul. Then, we examine some of the consequences of rotation in the evolution of single and binary stars. The proper account of meridional circulation in close binaries tends to increase the synchronization time because meridional currents always counteract the tidal interaction. We consider the case of the very low metallicity Z stars, in particular the CEMP-no stars, where rotational mixing may have played a dominant role in their strange chemical composition. Then, turning to “What are the mysteries?”, we emphasize that all over the evolution and for various masses the present models seem to still have a lack of rotational coupling between cores and envelopes. We suggest that magnetic fields may produce this missing internal coupling.

Observations of tides and circularization in red-giant binaries from Kepler photometry

Binary stars are places of complex stellar interactions. While all binaries are in principle converging towards a state of circularization, many eccentric systems are found even in advanced stellar phases. In this work we discuss the sample of binaries with a red-giant component, discovered from observations of the NASA Kepler space mission. We first discuss which effects and features of tidal interactions are detectable in photometry, spectroscopy and the seismic analysis. In a second step, the sample of binary systems observed with Kepler, is compared to the well studied sample of Verbunt & Phinney (1995, hereafter VP95). We find that this study of circularization of systems hosting evolving red-giant stars with deep convective envelopes is also well applicable to the red-giant binaries in the sample of Kepler stars.

Analysis of surface effect on solar-like oscillation frequencies using 3D hydrodynamical models

We evaluate the frequency difference between standard stellar models and models patched with 3D hydrodynamical models across the Teff–g plane. It allows us to constrain frequency corrections for surface effect. The coefficients in the correction functionals are thus provided as functions of effective temperature and surface gravity.

Spin evolution and saturation: new insights through 3D MHD simulations of young solar analogs

We examine how 3D MHD simulations can deliver clues on the mechanisms at the origin of angular momentum loss saturation of rapidly rotating solar-like stars. Based on a study of six targets, whose magnetic field has been observed by Zeeman Doppler Imaging (ZDI), we find that the saturation could be explained by a extremely strong coverage of the stellar surface of a large scale dipolar mode, in disagreement with recent works.

Stellar dynamics of low mass stars from the surface to the interior measured by CoRoT and Kepler

Continuous high-precision photometry of stars provided by space missions such as CoRoT, Kepler, and K2 represents a unique way to study stellar rotation and magnetism. The coupling of these studies of the surface dynamics with asteroseismology is changing our view to surface and internal dynamics. In this proceedings I will provide the latest developments in the understanding of surface and internal rotation and magnetic fields. I will also discuss the possible discovery of strong internal magnetic fields of dynamo origin in the convective cores of stars above 1.2–1.4 solar masses. I will finish by providing constraints on gyrochronology laws for low-mass stars and put the Sun into context of its magnetism when compared to other solar-analog stars.