The multi-scale dust formation in substellar atmospheres

Abstract

Substellar atmospheres are observed to be irregularly variable for which the formation of dust clouds is the most promising candidate explanation. The atmospheric gas is convectively unstable and, last but not least, colliding convective cells are seen as cause for a turbulent fluid field. Since dust formation depends on the local properties of the fluid, turbulence influences the dust formation process and may even allow the dust formation in an initially dust-hostile gas. A regime-wise investigation of dust forming substellar atmospheric situations reveals that the largest scales are determined by the interplay between gravitational settling and convective replenishment which results in a dust-stratified atmosphere. The regime of small scales is determined by the interaction of turbulent fluctuations. Resulting lane-like and curled dust distributions combine to larger and larger structures. We compile necessary criteria for a subgrid model in the frame of large scale simulations as result of our study on small scale turbulence in dust forming gases. © 2005 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.