Related papers: Magnetic helicity fluxes in an alpha-squared dynam…
In turbulent dynamos the production of large-scale magnetic fields is accompanied by a separation of magnetic helicity in scale. The large- and small-scale parts increase in magnitude. The small-scale part can eventually work against the…
Much work on turbulent three-dimensional dynamos has been done using triply periodic domains, in which there are no magnetic helicity fluxes. Here we present simulations where the turbulent intensity is still nearly homogeneous, but now…
The theory of large scale dynamos is reviewed with particular emphasis on the magnetic helicity constraint in the presence of closed and open boundaries. In the presence of closed or periodic boundaries, helical dynamos respond to the…
Magnetic helicity fluxes in turbulently driven alpha^2 dynamos are studied to demonstrate their ability to alleviate catastrophic quenching. A one-dimensional mean-field formalism is used to achieve magnetic Reynolds numbers of the order of…
Dynamos in the Sun and other bodies tend to produce magnetic fields that possess magnetic helicity of opposite sign at large and small scales, respectively. The build-up of magnetic helicity at small scales provides an important saturation…
Using mean-field models with a dynamical quenching formalism we show that in finite domains magnetic helicity fluxes associated with small-scale magnetic fields are able to alleviate catastrophic quenching. We consider fluxes that result…
We analyze direct numerical simulations of large-scale dynamos in inhomogeneous nonhelically driven rotating turbulence with and without shear. The forcing is modulated so that the turbulent intensity peaks in the middle of the…
Magnetic field generation on scales large compared with the scale of the turbulent eddies is known to be possible via the so-called $\alpha$ effect when the turbulence is helical and if the domain is large enough for the $\alpha$ effect to…
Dynamo action is investigated in simulations of locally isotropic and homogeneous turbulence in a slab between open boundaries. It is found that a `pseudo-vacuum' boundary condition (where the field is vertical) leads to strong helicity…
We construct a magnetic helicity conserving dynamo theory which incorporates a calculated magnetic helicity current. In this model the fluid helicity plays a small role in large scale magnetic field generation. Instead, the dynamo process…
Many astrophysical bodies harbor magnetic fields that are thought to be sustained by a dynamo process. However, it has been argued that the production of large-scale magnetic fields by mean-field dynamo action is strongly suppressed at…
The evolution of magnetic fields is studied using simulations of forced helical turbulence with strong imposed shear. After some initial exponential growth, the magnetic field develops a large scale travelling wave pattern. The resulting…
A gauge invariant and hence physically meaningful definition of magnetic helicity density for random fields is proposed, using the Gauss linking formula, as the density of correlated field line linkages. This definition is applied to the…
We examine the relationship between magnetic flux generation, taken as an indicator of large-scale dynamo action, and magnetic helicity, computed as an integral over the dynamo volume, in a simple dynamo. We consider dynamo action driven by…
Three closely related stumbling blocks of solar mean field dynamo theory are discussed: how dominant are the small scale fields, how is the alpha effect quenched, and whether magnetic and current helicity fluxes alleviate the quenching? It…
Dynamical studies of MHD turbulence on the one hand, and arguments based upon magnetic helicity on the other, have yielded seemingly contradictory estimates for the $\alpha$ parameter in turbulent dynamo theory. Here we show, with direct…
Magnetic helicity effects are discussed in laboratory and astrophysical settings. First, dynamo action in Taylor-Green flows is discussed for different boundary conditions. However, because of the lack of scale separation with respect to…
Several one and two dimensional mean field models are analyzed where the effects of current helicity fluxes and boundaries are included within the framework of the dynamical quenching model. In contrast to the case with periodic boundary…
Large scale dynamos produce small scale current helicity as a waste product that quenches the large scale dynamo process (alpha effect). This quenching can be catastrophic (i.e.intensify with magnetic Reynolds number) unless one has fluxes…
Magnetic helicity is a quantity that underpins many theories of magnetic relaxation in electrically conducting fluids, both laminar and turbulent. Although much theoretical effort has been expended on magnetic fields that are everywhere…