Magnetic helicity and fluxes in an inhomogeneous alpha(2) dynamo

• 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 there is a perfect conductor boundary condition on one end and a vertical field or pseudovacuum conditions on the other. This leads to migratory dynamo waves. Good agreement with a corresponding analytically solvable alpha(2) dynamo is found. Magnetic helicity fluxes are studied in both types of models. It is found that at moderate magnetic Reynolds numbers, most of the magnetic helicity losses occur on large scales. Whether this changes at even larger magnetic Reynolds numbers, as required for alleviating the catastrophic dynamo quenching problem, remains stillunclear.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

magnetic fields

magnetohydrodynamics

turbulence

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)