An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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In general, mass motions within a → fluid resulting in transport and mixing of the properties of that fluid when the temperature gradient exceeds some critical value. Convection, along with → conduction and → radiation, is a principal means of → energy transfer. → Schwarzschild's criterion.

From L. convectionem "the act of carrying," from p.p. stem of convehere "to carry together," from → com- "together" + vehere "to carry," cf. Skt. vah- "to carry, lead," vahitra "vehicle," Av. vazaiti "to lead," Mid.Pers. waz-, wazidan "to carry away," Gk. oxos "chariot;" PIE base *wegh- "to go, carry, drive"

Hambaz, from ham- "together" + baz "to carry, move," → evection.
Hambord, from ham- "together," → com- + bord, from bordan "to carry," Mid.Pers. burdan, O.Pers./Av. bar- "to bear, carry," barəθre "to bear (infinitive)," Skt. bharati "he carries," Gk. pherein, L. fero "to carry," PIE base *bher- "to carry."

Same as → convective zone.

An instability involving two layers of fluid with opposite gradients of properties. Same as → fingering instability. See also → salt finger. Double-diffusive instabilities commonly occur in any astrophysical fluid that is stable according to the → Ledoux criterion, as long as the entropy and chemical stratifications have opposing contributions to the dynamical stability of the system. They drive weak forms of convection, and can cause substantial heat and compositional → mixing. Two cases can be distinguished. In fingering convection, entropy is stably stratified (∇ - ∇ad < 0), but chemical composition is unstably stratified (∇μ < 0); it is often referred to as → thermohaline convection by analogy with the oceanographic context in which the instability was first discovered. In oscillatory double-diffusive convection, entropy is unstably stratified (∇ - ∇ad > 0), but chemical composition is stably stratified (∇μ > 0); it is related to semiconvection, but can occur even when the → opacity is independent of composition (P. Garaud, 2014, arXiv:1401.0928).

→ double;→ diffusive; → system.

A weak yet important kind of mixing that results from → fingering instability in stars within → radiative zones that have an unstable mean → molecular weight  → gradient. Also called → thermohaline convection.

→ finger; → -ing; → convection.

A type of → heat transfer involving mass motion of a fluid such as air or water when the heated fluid is caused to move away from the source of heat, carrying energy with it.

→ heat; → convection.

A → convective zone close to the surface of → hot stars caused by a peak in the → opacity due to iron recombination. A physical connection may exist between → microturbulence in hot star atmospheres and a subsurface FeCZ. The strength of the FeCZ is predicted to increase with → metallicity and → luminosity, but decrease with → effective temperature. The FeCZ in hot stars might also produce localized surface magnetic fields. The consequence of the FeCZ might be strongest in → Wolf-Rayet stars. These stars are so hot that the → iron opacity peak, and therefore FeCZ, can be directly at the stellar surface or, better said, at the → sonic point of the wind flow. This may relate to the very strong → clumping found observationally in Wolf-Rayet winds, and may be required for an understanding of the very high → mass loss rates of Wolf-Rayet stars (See Cantiello et al. 2009, A&A 499, 279).

→ iron; → convection; → zone.

Thermal → convection modified by the presence of magnetic fields.

→ magnetic; → convection.

An instability occurring in the region just outside the → convective core of a → massive star. The instability occurs when a → superadiabatic layer is stabilized by a chemical gradient. In fact, semiconvection takes place if → Schwarzschild's criterion for convection is fulfilled but at the same time → Ledoux's criterion is not fulfilled. The time-scale of semiconvection is the thermal time-scale, which is short compared to the nuclear time-scale in → main sequence stars but long compared to the time-scale of convection. However, semiconvection has a profound influence on the → post-main sequence star evolution. It affects the convective mixing above the hydrogen shell source, determines the appearance and extent of → blue loops in the → Hertzsprung-Russell diagram during core → helium burning, and is essential for defining the extent of the convective cores during core helium burning (See, e.g., N. Langer, 2012, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 50, 107).

→ semi-; → convection.

An instability in the ocean water that occurs when a layer of warm salt water is above a layer of fresh cold water of slightly higher density. In this process the hot salt water cools off and then, after having reached a higher density than the fresh water, sinks down even in the presence of stabilizing temperature gradients. This phenomenon explains the large-scale water movements in the oceans called themohaline circulation. First discussed by Melvin E. Stern (1960, Tellus 12, 172). → thermohaline mixing.

Thermohaline, from → thermo- + haline, from Gk. hals (genitive halos) "salt, sea;" cf. L. sal; O.Ir. salann; Welsh halen; O.C.S. sali "salt;" O.E. sealt; cf. O.N., O.Fris., Goth. salt, Du. zout, Ger. Salz from PIE *sal- "salt."

Garmâšur, from garmâ-→ thermo- + šur "salty" (Mid.Pers. šôr "salty," šorag "salt land;" cf. Skt. ksurá- "razor, sharp knife;" Gk. ksuron "razor;" PIE base *kseu- "to rub, whet").