3D convection simulations and their applications to solar and stellar physics, planetary science, and Galactic archaeology
by
Tsung-Dao Lee Institute/S4F-SW - Open Area
Tsung-Dao Lee Institute
Host: Dong Lai
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Abstract:
Convection is a fundamental physical process in low-mass stars, shaping how radiation escapes the stellar surface, how solar-like oscillations are driven, and how solar and stellar activity manifests. An accurate treatment of convection is also essential for exoplanet detection and characterization. However, in standard stellar models, convection remains oversimplified and is widely regarded as one of the weakest links in the models. Over the past three decades, 3D hydrodynamical simulations of stellar near-surface convection have transformed our understanding of how spectral lines form and how solar-like oscillations are excited and damped. Recent years have seen rapid development in large-scale, global magneto-convection simulations of the Sun that reveal intricate interactions between large-scale flows, rotation, and magnetic fields in deep convective regions. In this talk, I will first introduce the basic properties of 3D near-surface convection simulations and review their impact on stellar physics -- in particular spectroscopy and asteroseismology, Galactic archaeology, and the detection and characterization of exoplanets, where 3D models predict realistic limb-darkening profiles for transit photometry and accurate synthetic spectra for transmission spectroscopy. In the second part, I will highlight recent progress in large-scale solar convection simulations that provide unique insights into solar internal rotation and dynamo.
Biography:
Dr. Yixiao Zhou is a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oslo. He completed his PhD at Australian National University in 2021, followed by postdoctoral experience at Aarhus University (Denmark) and the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). Dr. Zhou's research focuses on the development and application of realistic, first-principles simulations of stellar convection, with expertise in asteroseismology, stellar structure and evolution, and the synthesis of radial velocity time series. His recent research interests include large-scale simulations of solar convection.
