Nicholas J. Nelson
- Courses3
- Reviews9
- School: California State University Chico
- Campus:
- Department: Physics
- Email address: Join to see
- Phone: Join to see
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Location:
400 West First Street
Chico, CA - 95929 - Dates at California State University Chico: September 2016 - April 2019
- Office Hours: Join to see
Biography
California State University Chico - Physics
Assistant Professor of Physics, California State University, Chico
Research
Nicholas
Nelson
Chico, California
Specialties: Data-driven analysis, Statistics, Mathematics, Physical Modeling, Massively-Parallel Supercomputing, 3D Data Visualization, Teaching
Experience
Brigham Young University
Teaching Assistant
Assignments included teaching and grading physics labs, supervising 5 other teaching assistants, preparing and running review sessions, and assisting in the development and implementation of two new classes.
University of Colorado at Boulder
PhD Candidate and Research Assistant
Formulated, computed, and analyzed numerical models of convective dynamo action in sun-like stars using massively parallel supercomputers. Performed extensive data analysis on very large data sets. Effectively communicated results to funding agencies, in scientific journals, and through formal and informal presentations.
University of Colorado at Boulder
Graduate Instructor
Co-instructor of record for Introductory Astronomy for Majors during Spring 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters. Responsible for all aspects of lectures, grading, testing, and class projects with co-instructor both in lecture component (~50 students) and recitation component (15-20 students). Effectively utilized physics-education based techniques including clickers and tutorial-style projects. Developed new observing projects in conjunction with on-campus observatory staff to allow students to conduct spectroscopic observations of stars across the HR diagram.
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Nicholas C. Metropolis Fellow
Used numerical models and observational data to study turbulent dynamo action and magentic activity on solar-like stars.
California State University, Chico
Assistant Professor of Physics
Teach physics, conduct research into the origins of stellar magnetism, mentor students, and provide service to the university
University of New Mexico
Adjunct Professor of Mathematics
Taught Calculus II using interactive engagement techniques; developed novel applications-based term project where groups of students used numerical differentiation and integration techniques to model real-world systems including flow rates in the Rio Grande, the spread of infectious diseases, and the pharmacokinetics of various mechanisms for the administration of various drugs
Education
Brigham Young University
B.S.
Physics, Mathematics
Brigham Young University
Teaching Assistant
Assignments included teaching and grading physics labs, supervising 5 other teaching assistants, preparing and running review sessions, and assisting in the development and implementation of two new classes.University of Colorado at Boulder
Ph.D.
Astrophysical and Planetary Science
University of Colorado at Boulder
PhD Candidate and Research Assistant
Formulated, computed, and analyzed numerical models of convective dynamo action in sun-like stars using massively parallel supercomputers. Performed extensive data analysis on very large data sets. Effectively communicated results to funding agencies, in scientific journals, and through formal and informal presentations.University of Colorado at Boulder
Graduate Instructor
Co-instructor of record for Introductory Astronomy for Majors during Spring 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters. Responsible for all aspects of lectures, grading, testing, and class projects with co-instructor both in lecture component (~50 students) and recitation component (15-20 students). Effectively utilized physics-education based techniques including clickers and tutorial-style projects. Developed new observing projects in conjunction with on-campus observatory staff to allow students to conduct spectroscopic observations of stars across the HR diagram.University of Colorado Boulder
M.S.
Astrophysical and Planetary Science
Publications
Magnetic Wreaths and Cycles in Convective Dynamos
The Astrophysical Journal
Solar-type stars exhibit a rich variety of magnetic activity. Seeking to explore the convective origins of this activity, we have carried out a series of global three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations with the anelastic spherical harmonic code. Here we report on the dynamo mechanisms achieved as the effects of artificial diffusion are systematically decreased. The simulations are carried out at a nominal rotation rate of three times the solar value (3 u03a9u2609), but similar dynamics may also apply to the Sun. Our previous simulations demonstrated that convective dynamos can build persistent toroidal flux structures (magnetic wreaths) in the midst of a turbulent convection zone and that high rotation rates promote the cyclic reversal of these wreaths. Here we demonstrate that magnetic cycles can also be achieved by reducing the diffusion, thus increasing the Reynolds and magnetic Reynolds numbers. In these more turbulent models, diffusive processes no longer play a significant role in the key dynamical balances that establish and maintain the differential rotation and magnetic wreaths. Magnetic reversals are attributed to an imbalance in the poloidal magnetic induction by convective motions that is stabilized at higher diffusion levels. Additionally, the enhanced levels of turbulence lead to greater intermittency in the toroidal magnetic wreaths, promoting the generation of buoyant magnetic loops that rise from the deep interior to the upper regions of our simulated domain. The implications of such turbulence-induced magnetic buoyancy for solar and stellar flux emergence are also discussed.
Magnetic Wreaths and Cycles in Convective Dynamos
The Astrophysical Journal
Solar-type stars exhibit a rich variety of magnetic activity. Seeking to explore the convective origins of this activity, we have carried out a series of global three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations with the anelastic spherical harmonic code. Here we report on the dynamo mechanisms achieved as the effects of artificial diffusion are systematically decreased. The simulations are carried out at a nominal rotation rate of three times the solar value (3 u03a9u2609), but similar dynamics may also apply to the Sun. Our previous simulations demonstrated that convective dynamos can build persistent toroidal flux structures (magnetic wreaths) in the midst of a turbulent convection zone and that high rotation rates promote the cyclic reversal of these wreaths. Here we demonstrate that magnetic cycles can also be achieved by reducing the diffusion, thus increasing the Reynolds and magnetic Reynolds numbers. In these more turbulent models, diffusive processes no longer play a significant role in the key dynamical balances that establish and maintain the differential rotation and magnetic wreaths. Magnetic reversals are attributed to an imbalance in the poloidal magnetic induction by convective motions that is stabilized at higher diffusion levels. Additionally, the enhanced levels of turbulence lead to greater intermittency in the toroidal magnetic wreaths, promoting the generation of buoyant magnetic loops that rise from the deep interior to the upper regions of our simulated domain. The implications of such turbulence-induced magnetic buoyancy for solar and stellar flux emergence are also discussed.
BUOYANT MAGNETIC LOOPS IN A GLOBAL DYNAMO SIMULATION OF A YOUNG SUN
The Astrophysical Journal
The current dynamo paradigm for the Sun and Sun-like stars places the generation site for strong toroidal magnetic structures deep in the solar interior. Sunspots and starspots on Sun-like stars are believed to arise when sections of these magnetic structures become buoyantly unstable and rise from the deep interior to the photosphere. Here, we present the first three-dimensional global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation in which turbulent convection, stratification, and rotation combine to yield a dynamo that self-consistently generates buoyant magnetic loops. We simulate stellar convection and dynamo action in a spherical shell with solar stratification, but rotating three times faster than the current solar rate. Strong wreaths of toroidal magnetic field are realized by dynamo action in the convection zone. By turning to a dynamic Smagorinsky model for subgrid-scale turbulence, we here attain considerably reduced diffusion in our simulation. This permits the regions of strongest magnetic field in these wreaths to rise toward the top of the convection zone via a combination of magnetic buoyancy instabilities and advection by convective giant cells. Such a global simulation yielding buoyant loops represents a significant step forward in combining numerical models of dynamo action and flux emergence.
Magnetic Wreaths and Cycles in Convective Dynamos
The Astrophysical Journal
Solar-type stars exhibit a rich variety of magnetic activity. Seeking to explore the convective origins of this activity, we have carried out a series of global three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations with the anelastic spherical harmonic code. Here we report on the dynamo mechanisms achieved as the effects of artificial diffusion are systematically decreased. The simulations are carried out at a nominal rotation rate of three times the solar value (3 u03a9u2609), but similar dynamics may also apply to the Sun. Our previous simulations demonstrated that convective dynamos can build persistent toroidal flux structures (magnetic wreaths) in the midst of a turbulent convection zone and that high rotation rates promote the cyclic reversal of these wreaths. Here we demonstrate that magnetic cycles can also be achieved by reducing the diffusion, thus increasing the Reynolds and magnetic Reynolds numbers. In these more turbulent models, diffusive processes no longer play a significant role in the key dynamical balances that establish and maintain the differential rotation and magnetic wreaths. Magnetic reversals are attributed to an imbalance in the poloidal magnetic induction by convective motions that is stabilized at higher diffusion levels. Additionally, the enhanced levels of turbulence lead to greater intermittency in the toroidal magnetic wreaths, promoting the generation of buoyant magnetic loops that rise from the deep interior to the upper regions of our simulated domain. The implications of such turbulence-induced magnetic buoyancy for solar and stellar flux emergence are also discussed.
BUOYANT MAGNETIC LOOPS IN A GLOBAL DYNAMO SIMULATION OF A YOUNG SUN
The Astrophysical Journal
The current dynamo paradigm for the Sun and Sun-like stars places the generation site for strong toroidal magnetic structures deep in the solar interior. Sunspots and starspots on Sun-like stars are believed to arise when sections of these magnetic structures become buoyantly unstable and rise from the deep interior to the photosphere. Here, we present the first three-dimensional global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation in which turbulent convection, stratification, and rotation combine to yield a dynamo that self-consistently generates buoyant magnetic loops. We simulate stellar convection and dynamo action in a spherical shell with solar stratification, but rotating three times faster than the current solar rate. Strong wreaths of toroidal magnetic field are realized by dynamo action in the convection zone. By turning to a dynamic Smagorinsky model for subgrid-scale turbulence, we here attain considerably reduced diffusion in our simulation. This permits the regions of strongest magnetic field in these wreaths to rise toward the top of the convection zone via a combination of magnetic buoyancy instabilities and advection by convective giant cells. Such a global simulation yielding buoyant loops represents a significant step forward in combining numerical models of dynamo action and flux emergence.
Effects of initial condition spectral content on shock-driven turbulent mixing
Physical Review E
The mixing of materials due to the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability and the ensuing turbulent behavior is of intense interest in a variety of physical systems including inertial confinement fusion, combustion, and the final stages of stellar evolution. Extensive numerical and laboratory studies of shock-driven mixing have demonstrated the rich behavior associated with the onset of turbulence due to the shocks. Here we report on progress in understanding shock-driven mixing at interfaces between fluids of differing densities through three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations using the rage code in the implicit large eddy simulation context. We consider a shock-tube configuration with a band of high density gas (SF6) embedded in low density gas (air). Shocks with a Mach number of 1.26 are passed through SF6 bands, resulting in transition to turbulence driven by the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability. The system is followed as a rarefaction wave and a reflected secondary shock from the back wall pass through the SF6 band. We apply a variety of initial perturbations to the interfaces between the two fluids in which the physical standard deviation, wave number range, and the spectral slope of the perturbations are held constant, but the number of modes initially present is varied. By thus decreasing the density of initial spectral modes of the interface, we find that we can achieve as much as 25% less total mixing at late times. This has potential direct implications for the treatment of initial conditions applied to material interfaces in both 3D and reduced dimensionality simulation models.
Magnetic Wreaths and Cycles in Convective Dynamos
The Astrophysical Journal
Solar-type stars exhibit a rich variety of magnetic activity. Seeking to explore the convective origins of this activity, we have carried out a series of global three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations with the anelastic spherical harmonic code. Here we report on the dynamo mechanisms achieved as the effects of artificial diffusion are systematically decreased. The simulations are carried out at a nominal rotation rate of three times the solar value (3 u03a9u2609), but similar dynamics may also apply to the Sun. Our previous simulations demonstrated that convective dynamos can build persistent toroidal flux structures (magnetic wreaths) in the midst of a turbulent convection zone and that high rotation rates promote the cyclic reversal of these wreaths. Here we demonstrate that magnetic cycles can also be achieved by reducing the diffusion, thus increasing the Reynolds and magnetic Reynolds numbers. In these more turbulent models, diffusive processes no longer play a significant role in the key dynamical balances that establish and maintain the differential rotation and magnetic wreaths. Magnetic reversals are attributed to an imbalance in the poloidal magnetic induction by convective motions that is stabilized at higher diffusion levels. Additionally, the enhanced levels of turbulence lead to greater intermittency in the toroidal magnetic wreaths, promoting the generation of buoyant magnetic loops that rise from the deep interior to the upper regions of our simulated domain. The implications of such turbulence-induced magnetic buoyancy for solar and stellar flux emergence are also discussed.
BUOYANT MAGNETIC LOOPS IN A GLOBAL DYNAMO SIMULATION OF A YOUNG SUN
The Astrophysical Journal
The current dynamo paradigm for the Sun and Sun-like stars places the generation site for strong toroidal magnetic structures deep in the solar interior. Sunspots and starspots on Sun-like stars are believed to arise when sections of these magnetic structures become buoyantly unstable and rise from the deep interior to the photosphere. Here, we present the first three-dimensional global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation in which turbulent convection, stratification, and rotation combine to yield a dynamo that self-consistently generates buoyant magnetic loops. We simulate stellar convection and dynamo action in a spherical shell with solar stratification, but rotating three times faster than the current solar rate. Strong wreaths of toroidal magnetic field are realized by dynamo action in the convection zone. By turning to a dynamic Smagorinsky model for subgrid-scale turbulence, we here attain considerably reduced diffusion in our simulation. This permits the regions of strongest magnetic field in these wreaths to rise toward the top of the convection zone via a combination of magnetic buoyancy instabilities and advection by convective giant cells. Such a global simulation yielding buoyant loops represents a significant step forward in combining numerical models of dynamo action and flux emergence.
Effects of initial condition spectral content on shock-driven turbulent mixing
Physical Review E
The mixing of materials due to the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability and the ensuing turbulent behavior is of intense interest in a variety of physical systems including inertial confinement fusion, combustion, and the final stages of stellar evolution. Extensive numerical and laboratory studies of shock-driven mixing have demonstrated the rich behavior associated with the onset of turbulence due to the shocks. Here we report on progress in understanding shock-driven mixing at interfaces between fluids of differing densities through three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations using the rage code in the implicit large eddy simulation context. We consider a shock-tube configuration with a band of high density gas (SF6) embedded in low density gas (air). Shocks with a Mach number of 1.26 are passed through SF6 bands, resulting in transition to turbulence driven by the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability. The system is followed as a rarefaction wave and a reflected secondary shock from the back wall pass through the SF6 band. We apply a variety of initial perturbations to the interfaces between the two fluids in which the physical standard deviation, wave number range, and the spectral slope of the perturbations are held constant, but the number of modes initially present is varied. By thus decreasing the density of initial spectral modes of the interface, we find that we can achieve as much as 25% less total mixing at late times. This has potential direct implications for the treatment of initial conditions applied to material interfaces in both 3D and reduced dimensionality simulation models.
Buoyant Magnetic Loops Generated by Global Convective Dynamo Action
Solar Physics
Our global 3D simulations of convection and dynamo action in a Sun-like star reveal that persistent wreaths of strong magnetism can be built within the bulk of the convention zone. Here we examine the characteristics of buoyant magnetic structures that are self-consistently created by dynamo action and turbulent convective motions in a simulation with solar stratification but rotating at three times the current solar rate. These buoyant loops originate within sections of the magnetic wreaths in which turbulent flows amplify the fields to much higher values than is possible through laminar processes. These amplified portions can rise through the convective layer by a combination of magnetic buoyancy and advection by convective giant cells, forming buoyant loops. We measure statistical trends in the polarity, twist, and tilt of these loops. Loops are shown to preferentially arise in longitudinal patches somewhat reminiscent of active longitudes in the Sun, although broader in extent. We show that the strength of the axisymmetric toroidal field is not a good predictor of the production rate for buoyant loops or the amount of magnetic flux in the loops that are produced.
Magnetic Wreaths and Cycles in Convective Dynamos
The Astrophysical Journal
Solar-type stars exhibit a rich variety of magnetic activity. Seeking to explore the convective origins of this activity, we have carried out a series of global three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations with the anelastic spherical harmonic code. Here we report on the dynamo mechanisms achieved as the effects of artificial diffusion are systematically decreased. The simulations are carried out at a nominal rotation rate of three times the solar value (3 u03a9u2609), but similar dynamics may also apply to the Sun. Our previous simulations demonstrated that convective dynamos can build persistent toroidal flux structures (magnetic wreaths) in the midst of a turbulent convection zone and that high rotation rates promote the cyclic reversal of these wreaths. Here we demonstrate that magnetic cycles can also be achieved by reducing the diffusion, thus increasing the Reynolds and magnetic Reynolds numbers. In these more turbulent models, diffusive processes no longer play a significant role in the key dynamical balances that establish and maintain the differential rotation and magnetic wreaths. Magnetic reversals are attributed to an imbalance in the poloidal magnetic induction by convective motions that is stabilized at higher diffusion levels. Additionally, the enhanced levels of turbulence lead to greater intermittency in the toroidal magnetic wreaths, promoting the generation of buoyant magnetic loops that rise from the deep interior to the upper regions of our simulated domain. The implications of such turbulence-induced magnetic buoyancy for solar and stellar flux emergence are also discussed.
BUOYANT MAGNETIC LOOPS IN A GLOBAL DYNAMO SIMULATION OF A YOUNG SUN
The Astrophysical Journal
The current dynamo paradigm for the Sun and Sun-like stars places the generation site for strong toroidal magnetic structures deep in the solar interior. Sunspots and starspots on Sun-like stars are believed to arise when sections of these magnetic structures become buoyantly unstable and rise from the deep interior to the photosphere. Here, we present the first three-dimensional global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation in which turbulent convection, stratification, and rotation combine to yield a dynamo that self-consistently generates buoyant magnetic loops. We simulate stellar convection and dynamo action in a spherical shell with solar stratification, but rotating three times faster than the current solar rate. Strong wreaths of toroidal magnetic field are realized by dynamo action in the convection zone. By turning to a dynamic Smagorinsky model for subgrid-scale turbulence, we here attain considerably reduced diffusion in our simulation. This permits the regions of strongest magnetic field in these wreaths to rise toward the top of the convection zone via a combination of magnetic buoyancy instabilities and advection by convective giant cells. Such a global simulation yielding buoyant loops represents a significant step forward in combining numerical models of dynamo action and flux emergence.
Effects of initial condition spectral content on shock-driven turbulent mixing
Physical Review E
The mixing of materials due to the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability and the ensuing turbulent behavior is of intense interest in a variety of physical systems including inertial confinement fusion, combustion, and the final stages of stellar evolution. Extensive numerical and laboratory studies of shock-driven mixing have demonstrated the rich behavior associated with the onset of turbulence due to the shocks. Here we report on progress in understanding shock-driven mixing at interfaces between fluids of differing densities through three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations using the rage code in the implicit large eddy simulation context. We consider a shock-tube configuration with a band of high density gas (SF6) embedded in low density gas (air). Shocks with a Mach number of 1.26 are passed through SF6 bands, resulting in transition to turbulence driven by the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability. The system is followed as a rarefaction wave and a reflected secondary shock from the back wall pass through the SF6 band. We apply a variety of initial perturbations to the interfaces between the two fluids in which the physical standard deviation, wave number range, and the spectral slope of the perturbations are held constant, but the number of modes initially present is varied. By thus decreasing the density of initial spectral modes of the interface, we find that we can achieve as much as 25% less total mixing at late times. This has potential direct implications for the treatment of initial conditions applied to material interfaces in both 3D and reduced dimensionality simulation models.
Buoyant Magnetic Loops Generated by Global Convective Dynamo Action
Solar Physics
Our global 3D simulations of convection and dynamo action in a Sun-like star reveal that persistent wreaths of strong magnetism can be built within the bulk of the convention zone. Here we examine the characteristics of buoyant magnetic structures that are self-consistently created by dynamo action and turbulent convective motions in a simulation with solar stratification but rotating at three times the current solar rate. These buoyant loops originate within sections of the magnetic wreaths in which turbulent flows amplify the fields to much higher values than is possible through laminar processes. These amplified portions can rise through the convective layer by a combination of magnetic buoyancy and advection by convective giant cells, forming buoyant loops. We measure statistical trends in the polarity, twist, and tilt of these loops. Loops are shown to preferentially arise in longitudinal patches somewhat reminiscent of active longitudes in the Sun, although broader in extent. We show that the strength of the axisymmetric toroidal field is not a good predictor of the production rate for buoyant loops or the amount of magnetic flux in the loops that are produced.
Generating buoyant magnetic flux ropes in solar-like convective dynamos
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Our Sun exhibits strong convective dynamo action which results in magnetic flux bundles emerging through the stellar surface as magnetic spots. Global-scale dynamo action is believed to generate large-scale magnetic structures in the deep solar interior through the interplay of convection, rotation and shear. Portions of these large-scale magnetic structures are then believed to rise through the convective layer, forming magnetic loops which then pierce the photosphere as sunspot pairs. Previous global simulations of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic convection in rotating spherical shells have demonstrated mechanisms whereby large-scale magnetic wreaths can be generated in the bulk of the convection zone. Our recent simulations have achieved sufficiently high levels of turbulence to permit portions of these wreaths to become magnetically buoyant and rise through the simulated convective layer through a combination of magnetic buoyancy and advection by convective giant cells. These buoyant magnetic loops are created in the bulk of the convective layer as strong Lorentz force feedback in the cores of the magnetic wreaths dampen small-scale convective motions, permitting the amplification of local magnetic energies to over 100 times the local kinetic energy. While the magnetic wreaths are largely generated the shearing of axisymmetric poloidal magnetic fields by axisymmetric rotational shear (the u03a9-effect), the loops are amplified to their peak field strengths before beginning to rise by non-axisymmetric processes. This further extends and enhances a new paradigm for the generation of emergent magnetic flux bundles, which we term turbulence-enabled magnetic buoyancy.
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