Related papers: Can the turbulent galactic dynamo generate large-s…
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…
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.…
The Universe at present is highly magnetized, with fields of the order of a few 10^-5 G and coherence lengths larger than 10 kpc in typical galaxies like the Milky Way. We propose that the magnetic field was amplified to this values already…
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…
A rigorous theory for the generation of a large-scale magnetic field by random non-helically forced motions of a conducting fluid combined with a linear shear is presented in the analytically tractable limit of low Rm and weak shear. The…
Several lines of evidence suggest that protogalactic and galactic environments manage to grow magnetic field very rapidly. This makes the theoretical problem of achieving rapid growth of magnetic fields in such environments difficult.…
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 origin and maintenance of coherent magnetic fields in the Universe is reviewed with an emphasis on the possible challenges that arise in their theoretical understanding. We begin with the interesting possibility that magnetic fields…
Spectropolarimetric observations show that many low-mass stars possess large-scale poloidal magnetic fields with considerable dipole component, which in some cases exhibit temporal dynamics - cycles or reversals. Although it is widely…
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…
Magnetic fields play an important role in astrophysical accretion discs, and in the interstellar and intergalactic medium. They drive jets, suppress fragmentation in star-forming clouds and can have a significant impact on the accretion…
Spiral galaxies host dynamically important magnetic fields which can affect gas flows in the disks and halos. Total magnetic fields in spiral galaxies are strongest (up to 30 \muG) in the spiral arms where they are mostly turbulent or…
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 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…
Large-scale planetary or stellar magnetic fields generated by a dynamo effect are mostly attributed to flows forced by buoyancy forces in electrically conducting fluid layers. However, these large-scale fields may also be controlled by…
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…
Radio continuum observations allow to reveal the magnetic field structure in the disk and halo of nearby spiral galaxies, their magnetic field strength and vertical scale heights. The spiral galaxies studied so far show a similar magnetic…
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…
Possibilities and difficulties of applying the theory of magnetic field generation by convection flows in rotating spherical fluid shells to the Giant Planets are outlined. Recent progress in the understanding of the distribution of…
Interstellar magnetic fields in elliptical galaxies are assumed to have their origin in stellar fields that accompany normal mass loss from an evolving population of old stars. The seed fields are amplified by interstellar turbulence driven…