3D Global Modeling of the Solar Dynamo

In our work, we are attempting to use 3D global MHD models to accurately reproduce the structure and long-term pattern of the solar magnetic dynamo. We use the EULAG code to map an ambient profile for a polytropic ideal gas in a superadiabatic state and solve for its turbulent advection over time. We model the entire solar convection zone with parts of the near-surface shear layer, all the way down to below the tachocline to get a good understanding of how each part of the sun acts and contributes to the solar cycle. We found that this dynamo cycle can be heavily dependent on the levels turbulent shear that are seen on the surface of the sun and exhibited by the tachocline layer. The structure of these two layers - which are still not completely understood - can have enormous impacts on the time-scale of the dynamo evolution as well as the non-axisymmetric emergence of the magnetic field onto the stellar surface. We show that different ambient profiles with different levels of super or subadiabticity can generate stark differences in the overall pattern of the magnetic field.