Structure of turbulence in the solar convection zone

Abstract

Based on the inverse cascade of energy in a turbulent medium, a model of the solar granulation, encompassing all spatial scales, has been proposed. The predicted spatial energy distribution tends to agree fairly well with that inferred from the observations of the photospheric motions. The model depends heavily on the presence of helicity fluctuations in the turbulent medium. Helicity is an invariant of a 3-D system. In case, the net helicity is zero, its second moment may be nonzero, then another invariant 'I' can be defined, the cascading properties of which in the inertial range give the spectral distribution of energy. The helicity is related to the mass density through a function analogous to the Bernoulli function. It is hoped that with the quality data obtained from GONG, we will be able to test some of these theoretical ideas.