mesa-users] Semiconvection, thermohaline mixing

[alfred at gautschy.ch]

Whom it might concern, or who might help

Going through the whole star_defaults.dek file trying to figure out  
where I can modify parameters, I realized that apparently MESA treats  
semiconvection and thermohaline mixing; this is great! However, as  
these mechanisms have various recipes on how to treat them I expected  
that at some point in star_defaults.dek one or the other parameter  
related to the treatment of semiconvection and/or thermohaline mixing  
would show up; I could not find anything though. Is this right? Is  
there no user interference possible for semiconvection and  
thermohaline mixing? How to find out what approach was adopted in MESA?

I think what was said above applies also to some degree to diffusion  
of species, also apparently implemented in MESA.

Is there a philosophy being followed in the MESA development on how  
"hard-wired" code parts (i.e. no modifications through namelists  
possible)  in say numerics, microphysics, macrophysics are documented  
and/or made accessible to the common user?

With regards,
Alfred Gautschy