Layer formation in a stably-stratified fluid cooled from above. Towards an analog for Jupiter and other gas giants

The presence of composition gradients in the interiors of gas giants can affect and even suppress convective motions. Under appropriate circumstances, a gradient of heavy elements can trigger the formation of a series of convective layers separated by sharp diffusive interfaces. This state of the fluid, known as layered convection, has been proposed as a mechanism to explain several observational problems in planetary sciences. However, those solutions assume that layered convection can persist over evolutionary time scales. Further, it is not guaranteed that secondary convective layers can form and survive under the vigorous mixing and turbulence of an outer convection zone. Here we use numerical simulations to investigate this problem.