3D Hydrodynamics Research Articles

On the Coronal Temperature in Solar Microflares

Abstract We present a study of solar imaging and spectral observations of a microflare, focusing on the temperature diagnostics provided by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board Hinode. Our data analysis, in particular from the emission in the 131 and 94 Å channels, indicates that the heated plasma reaches temperatures of ≳10 MK, at odds with a previous analysis of the same event, and we discuss the reason for the discrepancy. A particularly interesting aspect is the likely presence of the Fe xxiii 263.76 Å line, though weak, in EIS spectra in the early phases of the event, supporting the presence of high temperature plasma. Hydrodynamic 1D modeling of a single loop heated with a 3 minute pulse to 12–15 MK reproduces well most observed features along one of the brightening loops, including intensities in the AIA hot channels and their temporal variability, as well as the intensity, Doppler shift, and line width of the EIS Fe xxiii line, and its timing relative to the AIA emission. Overall, we obtain a coherent scenario of a typical microflaring loop system and provide constraints on the intensity of the energy release as well as its spatial and temporal distribution, both along and across the loop.

Investigating the morphology of the supernova remnant G349.7+00.2 in the medium with a density gradient

G349.7 + 00.2 is a young Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) with a mushroom morphology in radio and X-rays, and it has been detected across the entire electromagnetic spectrum from radio to high energy γ-rays. Moreover, the remnant is interacting with a molecular cloud based on the observations in the radio and infrared band. The reason for the formation of the periphery and the dynamical evolution of the remnant is investigated using 3D hydrodynamical (HD) simulations. Under the assumption that the supernova ejecta is evolved in the medium with a density gradient, the shell is composed of two hemispheres with different radii, and the smaller hemisphere is in relatively dense media. The resulting periphery of remnant is consistent with detected ones, and it can be concluded that the peculiar periphery of G349.7+00.2 can be reproduced as the remnants interacting with the medium with a density gradient.

The Art of Modeling Stellar Mergers and the Case of the B[e] Supergiant R4 in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Abstract Most massive stars exchange mass with a companion, leading to evolution which is altered drastically from that expected of stars in isolation. Such systems result from unusual binary evolution pathways and can place stringent constraints on the physics of these interactions. We use the R4 binary system’s B[e] supergiant, which has been postulated to be the product of a stellar merger, to guide our understanding of such outcomes by comparing observations of R4 to the results of simulating a merger with the 3D hydrodynamics code FLASH. Our approach tailors the simulation initial conditions to observed properties of R4 and implements realistic stellar profiles from the 1D stellar evolution code MESA onto the 3D grid, resolving the merger inspiral to within 0.02 R ⊙. We map the merger remnant into MESA to track its evolution on the H-R diagram over a period of 104 yr. This generates a model for a B[e] supergiant with stellar properties, age, and nebula structure in qualitative agreement with those of the R4 system. Our calculations provide evidence to support the idea that R4's B[e] supergiant was originally a member of a triple system in which the inner binary merged after its most massive member evolved off the main sequence, producing a new object of similar mass but significantly more luminosity than the A supergiant companion. The code framework presented in this paper, which was constructed to model tidal encounters, can be used to generate accurate models of a wide variety of merger stellar remnants.

Optical interferometry and Gaia measurement uncertainties reveal the physics of asymptotic giant branch stars

Context. Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are cool luminous evolved stars that are well observable across the Galaxy and populating Gaia data. They have complex stellar surface dynamics, which amplifies the uncertainties on stellar parameters and distances. Aims. On the AGB star CL Lac, it has been shown that the convection-related variability accounts for a substantial part of the Gaia DR2 parallax error. We observed this star with the MIRC-X beam combiner installed at the CHARA interferometer to detect the presence of stellar surface inhomogeneities. Methods. We performed the reconstruction of aperture synthesis images from the interferometric observations at different wavelengths. Then, we used 3D radiative hydrodynamics (RHD) simulations of stellar convection with CO5BOLD and the post-processing radiative transfer code OPTIM3D to compute intensity maps in the spectral channels of MIRC-X observations. Then, we determined the stellar radius using the average 3D intensity profile and, finally, compared the 3D synthetic maps to the reconstructed ones focusing on matching the intensity contrast, the morphology of stellar surface structures, and the photocentre position at two different spectral channels, 1.52 and 1.70 μm, simultaneously. Results. We measured the apparent diameter of CL Lac at two wavelengths (3.299 ± 0.005 mas and 3.053 ± 0.006 mas at 1.52 and 1.70 μm, respectively) and recovered the radius (R = 307 ± 41 and R = 284 ± 38 R⊙) using a Gaia parallax. In addition to this, the reconstructed images are characterised by the presence of a brighter area that largely affects the position of the photocentre. The comparison with 3D simulation shows good agreement with the observations both in terms of contrast and surface structure morphology, meaning that our model is adequate for explaining the observed inhomogenities. Conclusions. This work confirms the presence of convection-related surface structures on an AGB star of Gaia DR2. Our result will help us to take a step forward in exploiting Gaia measurement uncertainties to extract the fundamental properties of AGB stars using appropriate RHD simulations.

A Rapid Forecasting and Mapping System of Storm Surge and Coastal Flooding

AbstractA prototype of an efficient and accurate rapid forecasting and mapping system (RFMS) of storm surge is presented. Given a storm advisory from the National Hurricane Center, the RFMS can generate a coastal inundation map on a high-resolution grid in 1 min (reference system Intel Core i7–3770K). The foundation of the RFMS is a storm surge database consisting of high-resolution simulations of 490 optimal storms generated by a robust storm surge modeling system, Curvilinear-Grid Hydrodynamics in 3D (CH3D-SSMS). The RFMS uses an efficient quick kriging interpolation scheme to interpolate the surge response from the storm surge database, which considers tens of thousands of combinations of five landfall parameters of storms: central pressure deficit, radius to maximum wind, forward speed, heading direction, and landfall location. The RFMS is applied to southwest Florida using data from Hurricane Charley in 2004 and Hurricane Irma in 2017, and to the Florida Panhandle using data from Hurricane Michael in 2018 and validated with observed high water mark data. The RFMS results agree well with observation and direct simulation of the high-resolution CH3D-SSMS. The RFMS can be used for real-time forecasting during a hurricane or “what-if” scenarios for mitigation planning and preparedness training, or to produce a probabilistic flood map. The RFMS can provide more accurate surge prediction with uncertainties if NHC can provide more accurate storm forecasts in the future. By incorporating storms for future climate and sea level rise, the RFMS could be used to generate future flood maps for coastal resilience and adaptation planning.

The dichotomy of atmospheric escape in AU Mic b

ABSTRACT Here, we study the dichotomy of the escaping atmosphere of the newly discovered close-in exoplanet AU Microscopii (AU Mic) b. On one hand, the high extreme-ultraviolet stellar flux is expected to cause a strong atmospheric escape in AU Mic b. On the other hand, the wind of this young star is believed to be very strong, which could reduce or even inhibit the planet’s atmospheric escape. AU Mic is thought to have a wind mass-loss rate that is up to 1000 times larger than the solar wind mass-loss rate ($\dot{\mathrm{ M}}_\odot$). To investigate this dichotomy, we perform 3D hydrodynamics simulations of the stellar wind–planetary atmosphere interactions in the AU Mic system and predict the synthetic Ly α transits of AU Mic b. We systematically vary the stellar wind mass-loss rate from a ‘no wind’ scenario to up to a stellar wind with a mass-loss rate of $1000~\dot{\mathrm{ M}}_\odot$. We find that, as the stellar wind becomes stronger, the planetary evaporation rate decreases from 6.5 × 1010 g s−1 to half this value. With a stronger stellar wind, the atmosphere is forced to occupy a smaller volume, affecting transit signatures. Our predicted Ly α absorption drops from $\sim 20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ in the case of ‘no wind’ to barely any Ly α absorption in the extreme stellar wind scenario. Future Ly α transits could therefore place constraints not only on the evaporation rate of AU Mic b, but also on the mass-loss rate of its host star.

CFD computation of the hydrodynamic torque due to free-surface antiroll tanks with 3D dynamics

ABSTRACT The aim of this work is to simulate the complex 3D hydrodynamics inside free-surface anti-roll tanks with obstacles and side sub-compartments. The case studies comprise a rectangular tank, a tank with a C-shaped section and a rectangular tank with baffles, for which experimental results are provided. The simulations have been performed for 3 and 6 degrees of roll, and for various filling levels. The Open Source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool OpenFOAM has been used to carry out the simulations. Various turbulence models and boundary condition implementations have been used. It is shown in the paper that the k-ω SST model with slip boundary condition is the one that provides the best trade-off between accuracy and computational efficiency. In order for present results to be easily reproducible, the simulations files, also including the geometrical ones, are provided as supplementary material.

Simulating coliform transport and decay from 3D hydrodynamics model and in situ observation in Nice area

In coastal area, raw wastewater can be directly discharged in the sea during extreme rain events or failure of the sewage network. The highly urbanized and touristic area of Nice is directly exposed to this risk. In order to protect the bathing population and to apply the European regulation (DCE, 2000), Nice municipality has decided to work on a forecasting tool of transport and fate of fecal bacterial indicators such as Escherichia coli. This paper deals with the first step of this approach which consists in developing a three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation coupled with water quality parameters. The model used is based on Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes’s equations for the calculation of the velocities and water depth (TELEMAC3D), and wave energy balance equation to account for the wave induced current (TOMAWAC). Two field measurements were conducted on a real wastewater pollution coming from a sewage pipe located at −38 m depth. The first campaign has validated the vertical diffusion of the effluent through the water column by the means of variable depth samples and has stressed the hourly variability of sewage bacterial quality. Due to the lack of data regarding this last point, the model could not be fully validated. The second campaign has been designed to overcome this issue and to gather all the data needed to proceed to the validation of our hydro-ecological simulation. The comparison of the field measurements and the simulations has successfully demonstrated the accuracy of the model. But the uncertainty associated with the laboratory analysis (MPN) are high, making the calibration and validation processes a complex task. Nevertheless, further research needs to be done regarding the variability of microbial quality in order to develop an operational tool allowing the forecast of bacterial pollution. The next step of this study will be to establish the hourly variation of microbial quality in the wastewater during dry and raining periods.

Kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations from neutron star spreading layers

When the accretion disc around a weakly magnetised neutron star (NS) meets the stellar surface, it should brake down to match the rotation of the NS, forming a boundary layer. As the mechanisms potentially responsible for this braking are apparently inefficient, it is reasonable to consider this layer as a spreading layer (SL) with negligible radial extent and structure. We perform hydrodynamical 2D spectral simulations of an SL, considering the disc as a source of matter and angular momentum. Interaction of new, rapidly rotating matter with the pre-existing, relatively slow material co-rotating with the star leads to instabilities capable of transferring angular momentum and creating variability on dynamical timescales. For small accretion rates, we find that the SL is unstable for heating instability that disrupts the initial latitudinal symmetry and produces large deviations between the two hemispheres. This instability also results in breaking of the axial symmetry as coherent flow structures are formed and escape from the SL intermittently. At enhanced accretion rates, the SL is prone to shearing instability and acts as a source of oblique waves that propagate towards the poles, leading to patterns that again break the axial symmetry. We compute artificial light curves of an SL viewed at different inclination angles. Most of the simulated light curves show oscillations at frequencies close to 1 kHz. We interpret these oscillations as inertial modes excited by shear instabilities near the boundary of the SL. Their frequencies, dependence on flux, and amplitude variations can explain the high-frequency pair quasi-periodic oscillations observed in many low-mass X-ray binaries.

3D Cell-centered hydrodynamics with subscale closure model and multi-material remap

We extend a higher-order finite volume cell-centered hydrodynamic (CCH) formulation to include an interface-aware subscale closure model and a multi-material remap for simulating 3D compressible hydrodynamic problems within an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) framework. This CCH formulation involves a multidirectional approximate Riemann solution using quadratic polynomial reconstructions of the stress tensor and the velocity. At the subscale level, we determine pair-wise material interactions by solving a distinct approximate Riemann problem at the common interface, using the volume of fluids (VOF) method to find the interface. Material interactions are constrained to ensure smooth pressure equilibration among materials. The accuracy and robustness of the ALE method is demonstrated by simulating a suite of 3D Cartesian multi-material problems covering both gas and solid dynamics, where each test case has two or more materials.

Expansion of the strongly interacting superfluid Fermi gas: Symmetries and self-similar regimes

We consider an expansion of the strongly interacting superfluid Fermi gas in a vacuum, assuming absence of the trapping potential, in the so-called unitary regime (see, for instance, \cite{pitaevskii2008superfluid}) when the chemical potential $\mu \propto \hbar^2n^{2/3}/m$ where $n$ is the density of the Bose-Einstein condensate of Cooper pairs of fermionic atoms. In low temperatures, $T\to 0$, such expansion can be described in the framework of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE). Because of the chemical potential dependence on the density, $\sim n^{2/3}$, the GPE has additional symmetries, resulting in the existence of the virial theorem \cite% {vlasov1971averaged}, connecting the mean size of the gas cloud and its Hamiltonian. It leads asymptotically at $t\to\infty$ to the gas cloud expansion, linearly growing in time. We study such asymptotics, and reveal the perfect match between the quasi-classical self-similar solution and the asymptotic expansion of the non-interacting gas. This match is governed by the virial theorem, derived through utilizing the Talanov transformation \cite{talanov1970focusing}, which was first obtained for the stationary self-focusing of light in media with a cubic nonlinearity due to the Kerr effect. In the quasi-classical limit, the equations of motion coincide with 3D hydrodynamics for the perfect monoatomic gas with $\gamma=5/3$. Their self-similar solution describes, on the background of the gas expansion, the angular deformities of the gas shape in the framework of the Ermakov--Ray--Reid type system.

Spatial structure of turbulent mixing inferred from historical CTD datasets in the Indonesian seas

Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates and vertical diffusivities in the Indonesian seas are inferred from historical CTD measurements gathering for the first time data from Indonesian and international cruises. Dissipation rates are inferred from the CTD using an improved Thorpe scale method, which is validated against microstructure measurements. Elevated dissipation rates ~[10−6–10−7] m2 s−3, were observed in the near field stations, such as in the straits, narrowing passages and shallowing topography where internal tides are generated and Indonesian throughflow (ITF) is intense, while lower dissipation rates ~[10−8–10−10] m2 s−3 were observed in the far field stations and below the pycnocline. The main mixing hot spots are located in the Labani Channel and shallowing topography of the Dewakang waters for the western route of ITF, i.e. the passage that connects the north Pacific source via Sulawesi Sea, Makassar Strait and Flores Sea; in the straits of Halmahera, Lifamatola, and Buru for the eastern route of ITF, i.e. the passage that connects the south Pacific source via Halmahera Sea, Maluku Sea, Seram Sea; and in the ITF exit passages, i.e. the Lombok, Sape and Ombai Straits. The eastern route is more dissipative than the western route, which is consistent with the stronger erosion of the salinity peak of the Pacific waters along the eastern route. We found that tidal variations influence the dissipation rates and diffusivities as has been suggested from the yoyo profiling datasets. The spatial pattern of dissipation rates inferred from the high-resolution 3D hydrodynamics model output of Nagai and Hibiya (2015) shows a general agreement with the observations in the location of the mixing hot spots and suggests that the M2 internal tide is the dominant factor driving the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates in the Indonesian seas. Yet the model also shows a bias toward lower dissipation rate in the pycnocline, that we attribute to the lack of representation of the ITF and mesoscale circulation and a bias toward higher dissipation rate in the weak mixing region, suggesting an overestimation of the background dissipation rate in calm waters.

Reducing Undesired Wave Reflection at Domain Boundaries in 3D Finite Volume-Based Flow Simulations via Forcing Zones

This article reviews different types of forcing zones (sponge layers, damping zones, relaxation zones, etc.) as used in finite volume-based flow simulations to reduce undesired wave reflections at domain boundaries, with special focus on the case of strongly reflecting bodies subjected to long-crested incidence waves. Limitations and possible sources of errors are discussed. A novel forcing-zone arrangement is presented and validated via three-dimensional (3D) flow simulations. Furthermore, a recently published theory for predicting the forcing-zone behavior was investigated with regard to its relevance for practical 3D hydrodynamics problems. It was found that the theory can be used to optimally tune the case-dependent parameters of the forcing zones before running the simulations. 1. Introduction Wave reflections at the boundaries of the computational domain can cause significant errors in flow simulations, and must therefore be reduced. In contrast to boundary element codes, where much progress in this respect has been made decades ago (see e.g., Clement 1996; Grilli &Horillo 1997), for finite volume-based flow solvers, there are many unresolved questions, especially:How to reliably reduce reflections and disturbances from the domain boundaries?How to predict the amount of undesired wave reflection before running the simulation? This work aims to provide further insight to these questions for flow simulations based on Navier-Stokes-type equations (Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes, Euler equations, Large Eddy Simulations, etc.), when using forcing zones to reduce undesired reflections. The term "forcing zones" is used here to describe approaches that gradually force the solution in the vicinity of the boundary towards some reference solution, as described in Section 2; some examples are absorbing layers, sponge layers, damping zones, relaxation zones, or the Euler overlay method (Mayer et al. 1998; Park et al. 1999; Chen et al. 2006; Choi &Yoon 2009; Jacobsen et al. 2012; Kimet al. 2012; Schmitt & Elsaesser 2015; Perić & Abdel-Maksoud 2016a; Vukčević et al. 2016).

Faint rapid red transients from neutron star–CO white dwarf mergers

ABSTRACT Mergers of neutron stars (NS) and white dwarfs (WD) may give rise to observable explosive transient events. We use 3D hydrodynamical (smoothed particle hydrodynamics – SPH) simulations and 2D hydrodynamical–thermonuclear simulations (using the flash adaptive mesh refinement code) to model the disruption of CO-WDs by NSs, which produce faint transient events. We post-process the simulations using a large nuclear network and make use of the SuperNu radiation transfer code to predict the observational signatures and detailed properties of these transients. We calculate the light curves and spectra for five models of NS–CO-WD mergers. The small yields of 56Ni (few $\times 10^{-3}\, {\rm M_{\odot }}$) result in faint, rapidly evolving reddened transients (RRTs) with B(R) peak magnitudes of at most ∼−12 (−13) to ∼−13 (−15), much shorter and fainter than both regular and faint/peculiar Type Ia supernovae. These transients are likely to be accompanied by several months long, 1–2 mag dimmer red/infrared afterglows. We show that the spectra of RRTs share some similarities with rapidly evolving transients such as SN 2010X, although RRTs are significantly fainter, especially in the I/R bands, and show far stronger Si lines. We estimate that the upcoming Large Synoptic Survey Telescope could detect RRTs at a rate of up to ∼10–70 yr−1 through observations in the R/I bands. The qualitative agreement between the SPH and flash approaches supports the earlier hydrodynamical studies of these systems.

Realistic collisional water transport during terrestrial planet formation

Context. According to the latest theoretical and isotopic evidence, Earth’s water content originates mainly from today’s asteroid belt region, or at least from the same precursor material. This suggests that water was transported inwards to Earth, and to similar planets in their habitable zone, via (giant) collisions of planetary embryos and planetesimals during the chaotic final phase of planet formation. Aims. In current dynamical simulations water delivery to terrestrial planets is still studied almost exclusively by assuming oversimplified perfect merging, even though water and other volatiles are particularly prone to collisional transfer and loss. To close this gap we have developed a computational framework to model collisional water transport by direct combination of long-term N-body computations with dedicated 3D smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) collision simulations of differentiated, self-gravitating bodies for each event. Methods. Post-collision water inventories are traced self-consistently in the further dynamical evolution, in accretionary or erosive as well as hit-and-run encounters with two large surviving bodies, where besides collisional losses, water transfer between the encountering bodies has to be considered. This hybrid approach enables us for the first time to trace the full dynamical and collisional evolution of a system of approximately 200 bodies throughout the whole late-stage accretion phase (several hundred Myr). As a first application we choose a Solar System-like architecture with already formed giant planets on either circular or eccentric orbits and a debris disk spanning the whole terrestrial planet region (0.5–4 au). Results. Including realistic collision treatment leads to considerably different results than simple perfect merging, with lower mass planets and water inventories reduced regularly by a factor of two or more. Due to a combination of collisional losses and a considerably lengthened accretion phase, final water content, especially with giant planets on circular orbits, is strongly reduced to more Earth-like values, and closer to results with eccentric giant planets. Water delivery to potentially habitable planets is dominated by very few decisive collisions, mostly with embryo-sized or larger objects and only rarely with smaller bodies, at least if embryos have formed throughout the whole disk initially. The high frequency of hit-and-run collisions and the differences to predominantly accretionary encounters, such as generally low water (and mass) transfer efficiencies, are a crucial part of water delivery, and of system-wide evolution in general.

Circumplanetary Disk Dynamics in the Isothermal and Adiabatic Limits

Abstract Circumplanetary disks (CPDs) may be essential to the formation of planets, regulating their spin and accretion evolution. We perform a series of 3D hydrodynamics simulations in both the isothermal and adiabatic limits to systematically measure the rotation rates, sizes, and masses of CPDs as functions of , the ratio of the planet mass to the disk thermal mass. Our ranges from 0.1 to 4; for our various disk temperatures, this corresponds to planet masses between one Earth mass and four Jupiter masses. Within this parameter space, we find that isothermal CPDs are disky and bound within ∼10% of the planet’s Bondi radius , with the innermost in full rotational support. Adiabatic CPDs are spherical (and therefore not actually “disks”), bound within , and mainly pressure-supported, with rotation rates scaling linearly with extrapolation suggests full rotational support of adiabatic envelopes at . Fast rotation and 3D supersonic flow render isothermal CPDs significantly different in structure from—and orders of magnitude less massive than—their 1D isothermal hydrostatic counterparts. Inside a minimum-mass solar nebula, even a maximally cooled, isothermal CPD around a 10 Earth-mass core may have less than one Earth mass, suggesting that gas giant formation may hinge on angular momentum transport processes in CPDs. Our CPD sizes and masses appear consistent with the regular satellites orbiting solar system giants.

Do Cell Membranes Flow Like Honey or Jiggle Like Jello?

Cell membranes experience frequent stretching and poking: from cytoskeletal elements, from osmotic imbalances, from fusion and budding of vesicles, and from forces from the outside. Are the ensuing changes in membrane tension localized near the site of perturbation, or do these changes propagate rapidly through the membrane to distant parts of the cell, perhaps as a mechanical mechanism of long-range signaling? Literature statements on the timescale for membrane tension to equilibrate across a cell vary by a factor of ≈106 . This study reviews and discusses how apparently contradictory findings on tension propagation in cells can be evaluated in the context of 2D hydrodynamics and poroelasticity. Localization of tension in the cell membrane is likely critical in governing how membrane forces gate ion channels, set the subcellular distribution of vesicle fusion, and regulate the dynamics of cytoskeletal growth. Furthermore, in this study, it is proposed that cells can actively regulate the degree to which membrane tension propagates by modulating the density and arrangement of immobile transmembrane proteins. Also see the video abstract here https://youtu.be/T6K7AIAqqBs.

Numerical approximation of the 3D hydrostatic Navier–Stokes system with free surface

In this paper we propose a stable and robust strategy to approximate the 3D incompressible hydrostatic Euler and Navier–Stokes systems with free surface. Compared to shallow water approximation of the Navier–Stokes system, the idea is to use a Galerkin type approximation of the velocity field with piecewise constant basis functions in order to obtain an accurate description of the vertical profile of the horizontal velocity. Such a strategy has several advantages. It allowsto rewrite the Navier–Stokes equations under the form of a system of conservation laws with source terms,the easy handling of the free surface, which does not require moving meshes,the possibility to take advantage of robust and accurate numerical techniques developed in extensive amount for Shallow Water type systems.Compared to previous works of some of the authors, the three dimensional case is studied in this paper. We show that the model admits a kinetic interpretation including the vertical exchanges terms, and we use this result to formulate a robust finite volume scheme for its numerical approximation. All the aspects of the discrete scheme (fluxes, boundary conditions, ...) are completely described and the stability properties of the proposed numerical scheme (well-balancing, positivity of the water depth, ...) are discussed. We validate the model and the discrete scheme with some numerical academic examples (3D non stationary analytical solutions) and illustrate the capability of the discrete model to reproduce realistic tsunami waves propagation, tsunami runup and complex 3D hydrodynamics in a raceway.

The Observability of Vortex-driven Spiral Arms in Protoplanetary Disks: Basic Spiral Properties

Abstract Some circumstellar disks are observed to show prominent spiral arms in infrared scattered light or (sub-)millimeter dust continuum. The spirals might be formed from self-gravity, shadows, or planet–disk interactions. Recently, it was hypothesized that massive vortices can drive spiral arms in protoplanetary disks in a way analogous to planets. In this paper, we study the basic properties of vortex-driven spirals by the Rossby Wave Instability in 2D hydrodynamics simulations. We study how the surface density contrast, the number, and the shape of vortex-driven spirals depend on the properties of the vortex. We also compare vortex-driven spirals with those induced by planets. The surface density contrast of vortex-driven spirals in our simulations are comparable to those driven by a sub-thermal mass planet, typically a few to a few tens of Earth masses. In addition, different from the latter, the former is not sensitive to the mass of the vortex. Vortex-driven spiral arms are not expected to be detectable in current scattered light observations, and the prominent spirals observed in scattered light in a few protoplanetary disks, such as SAO 206462 (HD 135344B), MWC 758, and LkHα 330, are unlikely to be induced by the candidate vortices in them.

The Tidal Disruption of Sun-like Stars by Massive Black Holes

Abstract We present the first simulations of the tidal disruption of stars with realistic structures and compositions by massive black holes (BHs). We build stars in the stellar evolution code MESA and simulate their disruption in the 3D adaptive-mesh hydrodynamics code FLASH, using an extended Helmholtz equation of state and tracking 49 elements. We study the disruption of a 1M ⊙ star and 3M ⊙ star at zero-age main sequence (ZAMS), middle-age, and terminal-age main sequence (TAMS). The maximum BH mass for tidal disruption increases by a factor of ∼2 from stellar radius changes due to main-sequence (MS) evolution; this is equivalent to varying BH spin from 0 to 0.75. The shape of the mass fallback rate curves is different from the results for polytropes of Guillochon & Ramirez-Ruiz. The peak timescale t peak increases with stellar age, while the peak fallback rate decreases with age, and these effects diminish with increasing impact parameter β. For a β = 1 disruption of a 1M ⊙ star by a 106 M ⊙ BH, from ZAMS to TAMS, t peak increases from 30 to 54 days, while decreases from 0.66 to 0.14 M ⊙ yr−1. Compositional anomalies in nitrogen, helium, and carbon can occur before the peak timescale for disruptions of MS stars, which is in contrast to predictions from the “frozen-in” model. More massive stars can show stronger anomalies at earlier times, meaning that compositional constraints can be key in determining the mass of the disrupted star. The abundance anomalies predicted by these simulations provide a natural explanation for the spectral features and varying line strengths observed in tidal disruption events.