The interaction of multiple convection zones in A-type stars

A-type stars have a complex internal structure with the possibility of multiple convection zones. If not sufficiently separated, such zones will interact through the convectively stable regions that lie between them. It is therefore of interest to ask whether the typical conditions that exist within such stars are such that these convection zones can ever be considered as disjoint. In this paper, we present results from numerical simulations that help in understanding how increasing the distance between the convectively unstable regions affects the interaction. We go on to discuss the effect of varying the stiffness of the stable layer that lies between the unstable regions. We show that in A-type stars the convectively unstable regions are likely to interact through the stable region that separates them. This has profound implications for mixing and transport within these stars.