Turbulent Cascades and the alpha Dynamo
Fluid Dynamics
2012-10-16 v1 Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Plasma Physics
Abstract
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, driving a dynamo field, will be much less than the dissipative beta-effect. Consequently a mean field dynamo cannot be sustained. This conclusion is supported by recent measurements of the alpha and beta effects in the Madison Dynamo Experiment.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1210.3714,
title = {Turbulent Cascades and the alpha Dynamo},
author = {J B Taylor},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1210.3714},
year = {2012}
}