On the circulation luminosity in uniformly rotating stars

The equations governing meridional circulation in uniformly rotating stars are discussed, allowing for turbulence and for baroclinic effects. Relations for barotropic stars with steady motions are generalized to baroclinic stars with turbulence. The circulation luminosity (i.e., the luminosity carried by circulation through a level surface) is shown to be zero in barotropic layers and positive in the bulk of a radiative envelope. The resulting effect is important in contact binaries.