English

Nonlinear theory of a "shear-current" effect and mean-field magnetic dynamos

Astrophysics 2009-11-10 v2

Abstract

The nonlinear theory of a "shear-current" effect in a nonrotating and nonhelical homogeneous turbulence with an imposed mean velocity shear is developed. The ''shear-current" effect is associated with the Wˉ×Jˉ\bar{\bf W} {\bf \times} \bar{\bf J}-term in the mean electromotive force and causes the generation of the mean magnetic field even in a nonrotating and nonhelical homogeneous turbulence (where Wˉ\bar{\bf W} is the mean vorticity and Jˉ\bar{\bf J} is the mean electric current). It is found that there is no quenching of the nonlinear "shear-current" effect contrary to the quenching of the nonlinear α\alpha-effect, the nonlinear turbulent magnetic diffusion, etc. During the nonlinear growth of the mean magnetic field, the ''shear-current" effect only changes its sign at some value Bˉ\bar{\bf B}_\ast of the mean magnetic field. The magnitude Bˉ\bar{\bf B}_\ast determines the level of the saturated mean magnetic field which is less than the equipartition field. It is shown that the background magnetic fluctuations due to the small-scale dynamo enhance the "shear-current" effect, and reduce the magnitude Bˉ\bar{\bf B}_\ast. When the level of the background magnetic fluctuations is larger than 1/3 of the kinetic energy of the turbulence, the mean magnetic field can be generated due to the "shear-current" effect for an arbitrary exponent of the energy spectrum of the velocity fluctuations.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0406328,
  title  = {Nonlinear theory of a "shear-current" effect and mean-field magnetic dynamos},
  author = {I. Rogachevskii and N. Kleeorin},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0406328},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

16 pages, 4 figures, REVTEX4, revised version, Phys. Rev. E, v. 70, in press (2004)