Related papers: Turbulent Cascades and the alpha Dynamo
Mean-field dynamo theory has important applications in solar physics and galactic magnetism. We discuss some of the many turbulence effects relevant to the generation of large-scale magnetic fields in the solar convection zone. The…
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…
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…
Convectively driven dynamos with rotation generating magnetic fields on scales large compared with the scale of the turbulent eddies are being reviewed. It is argued that such fields can be understood as the result of an alpha effect.…
(abridged) Aims: To study turbulent transport coefficients that describe the evolution of large-scale magnetic fields in turbulent convection. Methods: We use the test field method together with 3D numerical simulations of turbulent…
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.…
The influence of fluctuating conductivity on the coefficients known from the mean-field electrodynamics is considered. If the conductivity fluctuations are assumed as uncorrelated with the turbulent velocity field then only the effective…
We analyse the role of a fluctuating alpha-effect in alpha-omega dynamo models, and show that there is a mechanism for magnetic field generation, valid at large scale separation, deriving from the interaction of mean shear and a fluctuating…
A numerical model of isotropic homogeneous turbulence with helical forcing is investigated. The resulting flow, which is essentially the prototype of the alpha^2 dynamo of mean-field dynamo theory, produces strong dynamo action with an…
We investigate the interaction of a fluctuating alpha-effect with large-scale shear in a simple nonlinear 1-dimensional dynamo wave model. We firstly extend the calculations of Proctor (2007, MNRAS, 41, L39-L42) to include spatial variation…
A mean-field theory of the electrodynamics of a turbulent fluid is formulated under the assumption that the molecular electric conductivity is correlated with the turbulent velocity fluctuation in the (radial) direction, $\mathbf{g}$. It is…
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…
The role of turbulent effects for dynamos in the Sun and stars continues to be debated. Mean-field (MF) theory provides a broadly used framework to connect these effects to fundamental magnetohydrodynamics. While inaccessible…
The paper deals with a simple spherical mean-field dynamo model of $\alpha^2$-type in the case of high electrical conductivity. A spherically symmetric distribution of turbulent motions is assumed inside a spherical fluid body surrounded by…
Mean-field dynamo theory suggests that turbulent convection in a rotating layer of electrically-conducting fluid produces a significant alpha-effect, which is one of the key ingredients in any mean-field dynamo model. Provided that this…
The predictive power of mean-field theory is emphasized by comparing theory with simulations under controlled conditions. The recently developed test-field method is used to extract turbulent transport coefficients both in kinematic as well…
Observations in polarized emission reveal the existence of large-scale coherent magnetic fields in a wide range of spiral galaxies. Radio-polarization data show that these fields are strongly inclined towards the radial direction, with…
The current understanding of astrophysical magnetic fields is reviewed, focusing on their generation and maintenance by turbulence. In the astrophysical context this generation is usually explained by a self-excited dynamo, which involves…
A reduction of total mean turbulent pressure due to the presence of magnetic fields was previously shown to be a measurable effect in direct numerical simulations. However, in the studied parameter regime the formation of large-scale…
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…