Related papers: Self-consistent Mean Field theory in weakly ionize…
Standard magnetohydrodynamic theories, such as the mean field dynamo theory, have been criticized when the back reaction of the magnetic field on turbulent motions is neglected. For the dynamo, this back reaction has been argued to suppress…
In systems where the standard $\alpha$ effect is inoperative, one often explains the existence of mean magnetic fields by invoking the `incoherent $\alpha$ effect', which appeals to fluctuations of the mean kinetic helicity at a mesoscale.…
Some recent results and open issues in magnetic dynamo theory are addressed. The distinction between small-scale and mean-field dynamo (MFD) action in forced turbulent flows is emphasized. Though useful, the MFD has been controversial. This…
The diffusion of uni-directional magnetic fields by two dimensional turbulent flows in a weakly ionized gas is studied. The fields here are orthogonal to the plane of fluid motion. This simple model arises in the context of the decay of the…
The generation of large-scale magnetic fields is generically accompanied by the more rapid growth of small-scale fields. The growing Lorentz force due to these fields back reacts on the turbulence to saturate the mean-field and small-scale…
The well known mean-field model of a turbulence driven dynamo is reviewed in relation to Laboratory experiments in which a turbulent cascade is created by a pair of large rotors. It is argued that in such experiments the alpha-effect,…
There are several astrophysical situations where one needs to study the dynamics of magnetic flux in partially ionized turbulent plasmas. In a partially ionized plasma the magnetic induction is subjected to the ambipolar diffusion and the…
An unsolved problem in turbulent dynamo theory is the ``back reaction'' problem: to what degree does the mean magnetic field suppress the turbulent dynamo coefficients which are needed to drive its growth? The answer will ultimately derive…
The diffusion of astrophysical magnetic fields in conducting fluids in the presence of turbulence depends on whether magnetic fields can change their topology via reconnection in highly conducting media. Recent progress in understanding…
The small-scale turbulent dynamo is an important process contributing to the cosmic magnetization. In partially ionized astrophysical plasmas, the dynamo growth of magnetic energy strongly depends on the coupling state between ions and…
The emergence of large-scale magnetic fields observed in the diffuse interstellar medium is explained by a turbulent dynamo. The underlying transport coefficients have previously been extracted from numerical simulations. So far, this was…
In the mean-field theory of magnetic fields, turbulent transport, i.e. the turbulent electromotive force, is described by a combination of the alpha effect and turbulent magnetic diffusion, which are usually assumed to be proportional…
The existence of large-scale dynamos in rigidly rotating turbulent convection without shear is studied using three-dimensional numerical simulations of penetrative rotating compressible convection. We demonstrate that rotating convection in…
Under ideal MHD conditions the magnetic field strength should be correlated with density in the interstellar medium (ISM). However, observations indicate that this correlation is weak. Ambipolar diffusion can decrease the flux-to-mass ratio…
To elucidate the influence of shear flow on the generation of magnetic field (the dynamo effect), we study the kinematic limit where the magnetic field does not backreact on the velocity field. By non-perturbatively incorporating the effect…
We study an example of instability in presence of a multiplicative noise, namely the spontaneous generation of a magnetic field in a turbulent medium. This so-called turbulent dynamo problem remains challenging, experimentally and…
It is shown that the turbulent dynamo $\alpha$-effect converts magnetic helicity from the turbulent field to the mean field when the turbulence is electromagnetic while the magnetic helicity of the mean-field is transported across space…
We consider the backreaction of the magnetic field on the magnetic dynamo coefficients and the role of boundary conditions in interpreting whether numerical evidence for suppression is dynamical. If a uniform field in a periodic box serves…
The objective of this article is to analyse the statistical behaviour of a large number of weakly interacting diffusion processes evolving under the influence of a periodic interaction potential. We focus our attention on the combined mean…
This article reproduces the Karl Schwarzschild lecture 2013. Some of the basic ideas of electrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics of mean fields in turbulently moving conducting fluids are explained. It is stressed that the connection of the…