Quenching processes in flame-vortex interactions

We show direct numerical simulations of flame-vortex interactions in order to understand quenching of thermonuclear flames. The key question is--can a thermonuclear flame be quenched? If not, the deflagration-detonation transition mechanisms that demand a finely tuned preconditioned region in the interior of a white dwarf are unlikely to work. In these simulations, we pass a steady-state laminar flame through a vortex pair. The vortex pair represents the most severe strain the flame front will encounter inside the white dwarf. We perform a parameter study, varying the speed and size of the vortex pair, in order to understand the quenching process. No quenching is observed in any of the calculations performed to date