HR: 0800h
AN: P51B-1425    [Abstracts]
TI: Giant Planet Cores: Solid vs. Stable
AU: * Evonuk, M
EM: mevonuk@es.ucsc.edu
AF: University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 United States
AU: Glatzmaier, G A
EM: glatz@es.ucsc.edu
AF: University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 United States
AB: Planets with stable (non-convecting) fluid cores are usually modeled using a solid impermeable core. An alternative is to model the central region as a stable fluid with a subadiabatic entropy gradient. The energy in this region is transported via radiation rather than convection. This is a more realistic representation for a giant gaseous planet as it allows for some convective penetration into the stable region and eliminates the artificial rigid boundary condition at the interface. We use a 2D finite volume hydrodynamic code to compare the fluid behavior in two density stratified cases, one with a solid core and one with a stable subadiabatic fluid core. Our goal is to identify the differences between the convective patterns in these two cases and the resulting kinetic energy distribution and entropy profiles. Using these results, and subsequent 3D simulations, it may be possible to determine the core structure in giant planets based on surface observations such as the zonal wind patterns and strengths.
DE: 5700 PLANETOLOGY: FLUID PLANETS
DE: 5724 Interiors (8147)
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting