Faculty Directory

Daniel Lecoanet

Assistant Professor of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics

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Daniel Lecoanet's Research

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Centers

Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics

Departments

Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics

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Research Interests

I am interested in astrophysical and geophysical fluid dynamics, and in developing numerical methods for solving problems in these fields. I primarily study low-Mach number flows inside stars; in planetary atmospheres; in the oceans; and in planetary cores. Each of these problems has a rich interplay between different fundamental physical effects: rotation, buoyancy, magnetism, moisture, external forcing, etc

I am a core developer of the Dedalus code. Dedalus can solve nearly arbitrary partial differential equations using spectral methods. We have recently extended Dedalus to run simulations in simple geometries which include coordinate singularities: spherical geometry and cylindrical geometry. This makes use of a new class of weighted Jacobi polynomials to represent tensorial quantities with the appropriate geometry regularity behavior. I am using these new capabilities to study global models of stars and planetary interiors (spherical geometry), as well as laboratory experiments (cylindrical geometry).

Selected Publications

• Vasil, Geoffrey M.; Lecoanet, Daniel; Augustson, Kyle; Burns, Keaton J.; Oishi, Jeffrey S.; Brown, Benjamin P.; Brummell, Nicholas; Julien, Keith, The solar dynamo begins near the surface, Nature (2024).
• Duguid, Craig D.; de Vries, Nils B.; Lecoanet, Daniel; Barker, Adrian J., An Efficient Tidal Dissipation Mechanism via Stellar Magnetic Fields, Astrophysical Journal Letters (2024).
• O'Connor, Liam; Lecoanet, Daniel; Anders, Evan H.; Augustson, Kyle C.; Burns, Keaton J.; Vasil, Geoffrey M.; Oishi, Jeffrey S.; Brown, Benjamin P., Iterative methods for Navier-Stokes inverse problems, Physical Review E (2024).
• Morrison, Hugh; Jeevanjee, Nadir; Lecoanet, Daniel; Peters, John M., What Controls the Entrainment Rate of Dry Buoyant Thermals with Varying Initial Aspect Ratio?, Journals of the Atmospheric Sciences (2023).
• Anders, Evan H.; Lecoanet, Daniel; Cantiello, Matteo; Burns, Keaton J.; Hyatt, Benjamin A.; Kaufman, Emma; Townsend, Richard H.D.; Brown, Benjamin P.; Vasil, Geoffrey M.; Oishi, Jeffrey S.; Jermyn, Adam S., The photometric variability of massive stars due to gravity waves excited by core convection, Nature Astronomy (2023).
• Lecoanet, Daniel; Edelmann, Philipp V.F., Multidimensional Simulations of Core Convection, Galaxies (2023).
• Ji, Suoqing; Fuller, Jim; Lecoanet, Daniel, Magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the Tayler instability in rotating stellar interiors, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2023).
• Kaufman, Emma; Lecoanet, Daniel; Anders, Evan H.; Brown, Benjamin P.; Vasil, Geoffrey M.; Oishi, Jeffrey S.; Burns, Keaton J., The stability of Prendergast magnetic fields, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2022).