Science Colloquium
Internal Waves and the Solar Rotation
Dr. Suzanne Talon
Universite de Montreal
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
1:45 - 2:45 PM
Hamilton Room 300
In order to explain detailed observed features of stars in various places on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, modern stellar evolution models must incorporate several complex physical processes which are often referred to as ?non-standard?. The main ones are atomic diffusion, large scale mixing due to rotation, internal gravity waves and magnetic fields.
In this talk, after a brief introduction about the astrophysical context, I will focus on the interaction between internal gravity waves (IGW), rotation-induced mixing and atomic diffusion in main sequence stars of various masses and metallicities. I will first review the properties on IGW, and explain how they lead to angular momentum redistribution in stars that are spun down during the main sequence. I will then present the first fully hydrodynamical models that include self-consistently the chemical and angular momentum redistribution by these three mechanisms. These models are able to reproduce the internal solar rotation profile as well as the abundances of lithium in open cluster and halo stars.
