English

The mean-field solar dynamo with double cell meridional circulation pattern

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 2015-06-12 v2

Abstract

Recent findings of helioseismology as well as advances in direct numerical simulations of global dynamics of the Sun have indicated that in each solar hemisphere the meridional circulation forms the two cells along the in the convection zone. We investigate properties of a mean-field solar dynamo with such double-cell meridional circulation. The dynamo model also includes the realistic profile of solar differential rotation (including the tachocline and subsurface shear layer), and takes into account effects of turbulent pumping, anisotropic turbulent diffusivity, and conservation of magnetic helicity. Contrary to previous flux-transport dynamo models, it is found that the dynamo model can robustly reproduce the basic properties of the solar magnetic cycles for a wide range of model parameters and the circulation speed. The best agreement with observations is achieved when the surface speed of meridional circulation is about 12 m/s. For this circulation speed the simulated sunspot activity shows good synchronization with the polar magnetic fields. Such synchronization was indeed observed during the past sunspot cycles 21 and 22. We compare theoretical and observed phase diagrams of the sunspot number and the polar field strength and discuss the peculiar properties of Cycle 23.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1302.0943,
  title  = {The mean-field solar dynamo with double cell meridional circulation pattern},
  author = {V. V. Pipin and A. G. Kosovichev},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1302.0943},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

19 pages, 7 figures, revised

R2 v1 2026-06-21T23:20:53.697Z