Turbulent Convection: Comparing the Moment Equations to Numerical Simulations

The nonlocal hydrodynamic moment equations for compressible convection are compared to numerical simulations. Convective and radiative flux typically deviate less than 20% from the three-dimensional simulations, while mean thermodynamic quantities are accurate to at least 2% for the cases we have investigated. The moment equations are solved in minutes rather than days as required on standard workstations. We conclude that this convection model has the potential to considerably improve the modeling of convection zones in stellar envelopes and cores, in particular those of A and F stars.