Related papers: Optimization of the magnetic dynamo
We consider a fluid dynamo model generated by the flow on both sides of a moving layer. The magnetic permeability of the layer is larger than that of the flow. We show that there exists an optimum value of magnetic permeability for which…
We consider a variant of the kinematic dynamo problem. Rather than prescribing a velocity field and searching for high-growth magnetic fields via an eigenvalue problem, we treat the seed magnetic-field structure as given and ask which…
Galaxies are observed to host magnetic fields with a typical total strength of around 15microgauss. A coherent large-scale field constitutes up to a few microgauss of the total, while the rest is built from strong magnetic fluctuations over…
Neutron stars, and magnetars in particular, are known to host the strongest magnetic fields in the Universe. The origin of these strong fields is a matter of controversy. In this preliminary work, via numerical simulations, we study, for…
The presence of magnetic fields in many astrophysical objects is due to dynamo action, whereby a part of the kinetic energy is converted into magnetic energy. A turbulent dynamo that produces magnetic field structures on the same scale as…
Magnetic fields are ubiquitous in the Universe. Extragalactic disks, halos and clusters have consistently been shown, via diffuse radio-synchrotron emission and Faraday rotation measurements, to exhibit magnetic field strengths ranging from…
We perform numerical optimization of the axisymmetric flows in a sphere to minimize the critical magnetic Reynolds number Rm_cr required for dynamo onset. The optimization is done for the class of laminar incompressible flows of von Karman…
Natural dynamos such as planets and stars generate global scale magnetic field despite the inferred presence of small scale turbulence. Such systems are known as large scale dynamos and are typically driven by convection and influenced by…
The theory of planetary dynamos and its applications to observed phenomena of planetary magnetism are outlined. It is generally accepted that convection flows driven by thermal or compositional buoyancy are the most likely source for the…
The magnetic fields of spiral galaxies are so strong that they cannot be primordial. Their typical values are over one billion times higher than any value predicted for the early Universe. Explaining this immense growth and incorporating it…
In recent years, several optimal dynamos have been discovered. They minimize the magnetic energy dissipation or, equivalently, maximize the growth rate at a fixed magnetic Reynolds number. In the optimal dynamo of Willis (2012, Phys. Rev.…
We investigate the energy pathways between the velocity and the magnetic fields in a rotating plane layer dynamo driven by Rayleigh-B\'enard convection using direct numerical simulations. The kinetic and magnetic energies are divided into…
We derive the advection of magnetic fields due to gradients in magnetic diffusivity, starting from the magnetic induction equation. We discuss physical examples, and compare our results to those in the literature. Our induction and…
Most large-scale planetary magnetic fields are thought to be driven by low Rossby number convection of a low magnetic Prandtl number fluid. Here kinematic dynamo action is investigated with an asymptotic, rapidly rotating dynamo model for…
Spiral galaxies, including the Milky Way, have large-scale magnetic fields with significant energy densities. The dominant theory attributes these magnetic fields to a large-scale dynamo. We review the current status of dynamo theory and…
Hydromagnetic dynamo theory provides the prevailing theoretical description for the origin of magnetic fields in the universe. Here we consider the problem of kinematic, small-scale dynamo action driven by a random, incompressible,…
The origin of strong magnetic fields in the Universe can be explained by amplifying weak seed fields via turbulent motions on small spatial scales and subsequently transporting the magnetic energy to larger scales. This process is known as…
We analyze the nature of dynamo action that produces horizontally averaged magnetic fields in two particular flows that were studied by Roberts (1972, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 271, 411), namely his flows II and III. They have zero kinetic…
The exteriors of stellar and galactic dynamos are usually modeled as current-free potential fields. A more realistic description might instead be that of a force-free magnetic field. Here, we suggest that, in the absence of outflows,…
The recent observational, theoretical, and numerical progress made in understanding stellar magnetism is discussed. Particularly, this review will cover the physical processes thought to be at the origin of these magnetic fields and their…