Tao Cai (Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics)

Overview

I am an associate professor at Macau University of Science and Technology. I am interested in geophysical and astrophysical fluid dynamics problems, with a particular emphasis on understanding the physical processes of waves, turbulent convection, vortex dynamics in planets and stars. I combine numerical and theoretical models to investigate the underling mechanisms in these fluid dynamics processes. Currently, I am focused on understanding the vortex formation in gas giant planets, the turbulent convection and overshooting in stars, and wave transmissions in stars and planets.   

Contact information 

State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences

Macau University of Science and Technology

Email: tcai@must.edu.mo

Education

BSc, Information and Computational Science, Central South University, 2003

MSc, Astrophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2006

PhD, Mathematics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2011

Research Interests

• Planetary atmospheres

• Hydrodynamics in stars

• Computational fluid dynamics

• High performance computing

Publications (* for corresponding author)

1. Tao Cai*, Examination of vorticity and divergence on a rotating turbulent convection model of Jupiter's polar vortices, 2024, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 129, e2023JE008281. Link

2. Fan Xu, Tao Cai*,  Penetrative magneto-convection of a rotating Boussinesq flow in f-planes, 2024, Physics of Fluids, 36, 026609. Link

3. Xinyi Zhang*, Tao Cai*, Yan Li, Tao Wu, Determining the Age and the Convective Core Overshooting for Two Red Giants KIC 9145955 and KIC 9970396 by the Gravity-Dominated Mixed Modes, 2022, The Astrophysical Journal, 931,64. PDF

4.  Tao Cai*, Kwing L. Chan, Kim-Chiu Chow, Spontaneous Generated Convective Anticyclones in Low Latitude --- A Model for the Great Red Spot, 2022, The Astrophysical Journal, 925, 94. PDF 

5.  Tao Cai*, Large-scale Vortices in Rapidly Rotating Rayleigh-Bénard Convection at Small Prandtl Number, 2021, The Astrophysical Journal, 923, 138. PDF 

6.  Tao Cai*, Cong Yu*, Xing Wei, Convectively Coupled Equatorial Trapped Waves in Stars and Planets, 2021, The Astrophysical Journal, 914, 11. PDF 

7.  Tao Cai, Kwing L. Chan*, Hans G. Mayr, Deep Closely Packed Long-Lived Cyclones on Jupiter’s Poles, 2021, The Planetary Science Journal, 2, 81. PDF 

8.  Tao Cai*, Cong Yu*, Xing Wei, Inertial and Gravity Wave Transmissions near Radiative-Convective Boundaries, 2021, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 916, A48. Link

9.  Tao Cai*, Cong Yu*, Xing Wei, Enhancement of Wave Transmission in Multiple Radiative and Convective Zones, 2021, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 915, A125. Link

10.  Tao Cai*, Penetrative Convection for Rotating Boussinesq Flow in Tilted F-planes. 2020, The Astrophysical Journal, 898, 22. PDF 

11.  Tao Cai*, Upward Overshooting in Turbulent Compressible Convection. III. Calibrate Parameters for one-dimensional Reynolds Stress Model. 2020, The Astrophysical Journal, 891, 77. PDF 

12.  Tao Cai*, Upward Overshooting in Turbulent Compressible Convection. II. Simulations at Large Relative Stability Parameters. 2020, The Astrophysical Journal, 891, 49. PDF 

13.  Tao Cai*, Upward Overshooting in Turbulent Compressible Convection. I. Effects of the Relative Stability Parameter, the Prandtl number, and the Péclect number. 2020, The Astrophysical Journal, 888, 46. PDF 

14.  Tao Cai*, Numerical Analysis of Nonlocal Convection—Comparison with Three-dimensional Numerical Simulations of Efficient Turbulent Convection. 2018, The Astrophysical Journal, 868, 12. PDF 

15.  Tao Cai, Bharat Hazari, Jennifer Te Lai* and Vijay Mohan, Kaldorian Disaggregation, Temporary Migration and Welfare: Theory and Calibration. 2018, Pacific Economic Review, 23(2), 193.

16.  Tao Cai, Vinh Dang, Jennifer Te Lai*, China’s Capital and ‘Hot’ Money Flows: An Empirical Investigation. 2016, Pacific Economic Review, 21(2), 276.

17.  Tao Cai*, A Semi-implicit Spectral Method for Compressible Convection of Rotating and Density-stratified Flows in Cartesian Geometry, 2016, Journal of Computational Physics, 310, 342. PDF 

18.  Tao Cai*, Numerical Analysis of Nonlocal Convection, 2014, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 443, 3703. PDF 

19.  Tao Cai*, Kwing L. Chan, 3D Numerical Simulation of Convection in Giant Planets: Effects of the Solid Core Size, 2012, Planetary and Space Science, 71(1), 125. PDF 

20.  Tao Cai*, Kwing L. Chan, Licai Deng, Numerical Simulation of Core Convection by a Multi-layer Semi-implicit Spherical Spectral Method, 2011, Journal of Computational Physics, 230(24), 8698. PDF 

21.  Tao Cai*, Supersonic Convection in Stellar Interiors, 2006, Chinese Astronomy and Astrophysics, 30, 284. PDF 

Teaching

Advanced topics in methods of numerical simulations  (2020 Spring, 2021 Spring, 2022 Spring)

Spatial statistics  (2020 Fall, 2021 Fall, 2022 Fall, 2023 Fall)

Business statistics (2019 Fall, 2020 Spring)

Numerical solutions of partial differential equations (2017 Spring)

Optimization theory (2015 Fall, 2017 Spring)

Numerical linear algebra (2015 Fall, 2016 Fall)

Numerical approximation (2014 Spring, 2015 Spring)

Advanced mathematics (2014 Fall)

Group members

Dr. Zhang Xinyi (Postdoc, 2021-2023)

Ms. Sethulakshmy Edathara Sreenivasan (PhD student, 2023-present)

Ms. Zhang Yu (PhD student, 2021-present)

Mr. Cui Yunong (Master student, 2023-present)

Mr. Xia Sanchuan (Master student, 2022-present)

Mr. Wu Beite (Master student, 2022-present)

Ms. Liu Yuanyuan (Master student, 2021-2023)

Mr. Xu Fan (Master student, 2020-2022)

Mr. Tang Sijie (Master student, 2020-2022)

Ms. Li Rongxiang (Master student, 2019-2021)