Numerical convergence of 2d solar convection in implicit large-eddy simulations

However, for systems with few observational constraints, it is a formidable challenge to determine if these strategies adequately capture the physics of the system. Here, we address this problem by analyzing numerical convergence of ILES of turbulent convection in 2D, with resolutions between 64(2) and 2048(2) grid points, along with the estimation of their effective viscosities, resulting in effective Reynolds numbers between 1 and similar to 10(4).

The thermodynamic structure of our model resembles the solar interior, including a fraction of the radiative zone and the convection zone. In the convective layer, the ILES solutions converge for the simulations with >= 512(2) grid points, as evidenced by the integral properties of the flow and its power spectra. Most importantly, we found that even a resolution of 128(2) grid points, Re similar to 10, is sufficient to capture the dynamics of the large scales accurately.