6 papers
Self-Consistent Evolution Models Show Weak Double-Diffusive Mixing in Jupiter and Saturn
J. R. Fuentes, Ankan Sur, David J. Stevenson +1
Double-diffusive convection in the ``fuzzy'' cores of giant planets has been widely discussed as a mechanism for redistributing heavy elements, but its efficiency in evolutionary m…
Diffusive Braking of Penetrative Convection in Stably-Stratified Fluids
Bradley W. Hindman, J. R. Fuentes
Mixing at the interface between a convection zone and an adjacent, stably-stratified layer plays a crucial role in shaping the structure and evolution of stars and planets. In this…
3D Simulations of Convective Entrainment in Gas Giants: Rotation and Decreasing Luminosity as Barriers to Mixing
Shu Zhang, J. R. Fuentes, Andrew Cumming
Observations from Juno and Cassini suggest that Jupiter and Saturn may possess fuzzy cores -- central regions where the abundance of heavy elements varies smoothly with depth. Such…
An Energy Perspective of Core Erosion in Gas Giant Planets
J. R. Fuentes, Christopher R. Mankovich, Ankan Sur
Juno and Cassini have shown that Jupiter and Saturn likely contain extended gradients of heavy elements. Yet, how these gradients can survive over billions of years remains an open…
3D Simulations of Semiconvection in Spheres: Turbulent Mixing and Layer Formation
J. R. Fuentes
Semiconvection occurs in regions of stars and planets that are unstable to overturning convection according to the Schwarzschild criterion, yet stable according to the Ledoux crite…
Evolution of Semi-convective Staircases in Rotating Flows: Consequences for Fuzzy Cores in Giant Planets
J. R. Fuentes, Bradley W. Hindman, Adrian E. Fraser +1
Recent observational constraints on the internal structure of Jupiter and Saturn suggest that these planets have ``fuzzy" cores, i.e., gradients of the concentration of heavy eleme…