arXiv subjects

M. Mocák

Publications and source records attributed to M. Mocák.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

3D simulations of a complete convective silicon shell burning phase

We present 3D hydrodynamic simulations of a complete silicon shell burning phase until fuel exhaustion at the end of the evolution of a 14$M_\odot$ core-collapse supernova progenitor, using a reduced 25-isotope nuclear network. We investigate how realistic turbulent convection affects this burning phase, which has a more complicated set of nuclear reactions than previous burning phases. We find broad similarities between the 3D simulation and the 1D \textsc{MESA} model. However, due to more realistic feedback from the very stiff convective boundaries in the hydrodynamic simulations, the 3D simulation experiences lower convective boundary mixing (CMB) compared to 1D, and hence entrains less fresh fuel into the silicon shell. This leads to the silicon shell in the 3D model burning for roughly 800\,s shorter. We find that the nuclear burning timescales for the dominant reactions are faster than the mixing timescale, making this entire process a convective-reactive event. The angular-averaged energy generation profile shows a double-peaked structure, where the region between the positive peaks are close to zero, or are negative. We find that throughout the base of this silicon shell, many $(α, p)$ and their inverse reactions are important. The forward and reverse rates are very similar, so slight fluctuations in the temperature cause regions to be either exoergic or endoergic, leading to a complicated energy generation evolution. This study presents an exploration using a single reduced nuclear network, however, due to the sensitivity of this burning phase future studies should investigate the impact of more complete nuclear networks.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Dynamics in a stellar convective layer and at its boundary: Comparison of five 3D hydrodynamics codes

Our ability to predict the structure and evolution of stars is in part limited by complex, 3D hydrodynamic processes such as convective boundary mixing. Hydrodynamic simulations help us understand the dynamics of stellar convection and convective boundaries. However, the codes used to compute such simulations are usually tested on extremely simple problems and the reliability and reproducibility of their predictions for turbulent flows is unclear. We define a test problem involving turbulent convection in a plane-parallel box, which leads to mass entrainment from, and internal-wave generation in, a stably stratified layer. We compare the outputs from the codes FLASH, MUSIC, PPMSTAR, PROMPI, and SLH, which have been widely employed to study hydrodynamic problems in stellar interiors. The convection is dominated by the largest scales that fit into the simulation box. All time-averaged profiles of velocity components, fluctuation amplitudes, and fluxes of enthalpy and kinetic energy are within $\lesssim 3σ$ of the mean of all simulations on a given grid ($128^3$ and $256^3$ grid cells), where $σ$ describes the statistical variation due to the flow's time dependence. They also agree well with a $512^3$ reference run. The $128^3$ and $256^3$ simulations agree within $9\%$ and $4\%$, respectively, on the total mass entrained into the convective layer. The entrainment rate appears to be set by the amount of energy that can be converted to work in our setup and details of the small-scale flows in the boundary layer seem to be largely irrelevant. Our results lend credence to hydrodynamic simulations of flows in stellar interiors. We provide in electronic form all outputs of our simulations as well as all information needed to reproduce or extend our study.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2011

A new stellar mixing process operating below shell convection zones following off-center ignition

During most stages of stellar evolution the nuclear burning of lighter to heavier elements results in a radial composition profile which is stabilizing against buoyant acceleration, with light material residing above heavier material. However, under some circumstances, such as off-center ignition, the composition profile resulting from nuclear burning can be destabilizing, and characterized by an outwardly increasing mean molecular weight. The potential for instabilities under these circumstances, and the consequences that they may have on stellar structural evolution, remain largely unexplored. In this paper we study the development and evolution of instabilities associated with unstable composition gradients in regions which are initially stable according to linear Schwarzschild and Ledoux criteria. In particular, we explore the mixing taking place under various conditions with multi-dimensional hydrodynamic convection models based on stellar evolutionary calculations of the core helium flash in a 1.25 \Msun star, the core carbon flash in a 9.3\,\Msun star, and of oxygen shell burning in a star with a mass of 23\,\Msun. The results of our simulations reveal a mixing process associated with regions having outwardly increasing mean molecular weight that reside below convection zones. The mixing is not due to overshooting from the convection zone, nor is it due directly to thermohaline mixing which operates on a timescale several orders of magnitude larger than the simulated flows. Instead, the mixing appears to be due to the presence of a wave field induced in the stable layers residing beneath the convection zone which enhances the mixing rate by many orders of magnitude and allows a thermohaline type mixing process to operate on a dynamical, rather than thermal, timescale. We discuss our results in terms of related laboratory phenomena and associated theoretical developments.

astro-ph.SR↗