We present direct numerical simulations of dynamo action in a forced Roberts flow. The behavior of the dynamo is followed as the mechanical Reynolds number is increased, starting from the laminar case until a turbulent regime is reached. The critical magnetic Reynolds for dynamo action is found, and in the turbulent flow it is observed to be nearly independent on the magnetic Prandtl number in the range from 0.3 to 0.1. Also the dependence of this threshold with the amount of mechanical helicity in the flow is studied. For the different regimes found, the configuration of the magnetic and velocity fields in the saturated steady state are discussed.
We perform numerical simulation of dynamo with magnetic Prandtl number $\mathrm{Pm} =0.2$ on $1024^3$ grid, and compute the energy fluxes and the shell-to-shell energy transfers. These computations indicate that the magnetic energy growth takes place mainly due to the energy transfers from large-scale velocity field to large-scale magnetic field and that the magnetic energy flux is forward. The steady-state magnetic energy is much smaller than the kinetic energy, rather than equipartition; this is because the magnetic Reynolds number is near the dynamo transition regime. We also contrast our r…
We investigate the dynamo problem in the limit of small magnetic Prandtl number ($\Pm$) using a shell model of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. The model is designed to satisfy conservation laws of total energy, cross helicity and magnetic helicity in the limit of inviscid fluid and null magnetic diffusivity. The forcing is chosen to have a constant injection rate of energy and no injection of kinetic helicity nor cross helicity. We find that the value of the critical magnetic Reynolds number ($\Rm$) saturates in the limit of small $\Pm$. Above the dynamo threshold we study the saturated regime…
Amplification of magnetic field due to kinematic turbulent dynamo action is studied in the regime of small magnetic Prandtl numbers. Such a regime is relevant for planets and stars interiors, as well as for liquid metal laboratory experiments. A comprehensive analysis based on the Kazantsev-Kraichnan model is reported, which establishes the dynamo threshold and the dynamo growth rates for varying kinetic helicity of turbulent fluctuations. It is proposed that in contrast with the case of large magnetic Prandtl numbers, the kinematic dynamo action at small magnetic Prandtl numbers is significan…
We present an MHD shell model suitable for computation of various energy fluxes of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence for very small and very large magnetic Prandtl numbers $\mathrm{Pm}$; such computations are inaccessible to direct numerical simulations. For small $\mathrm{Pm}$, we observe that both kinetic and magnetic energy spectra scale as $k^{-5/3}$ in the inertial range, but the dissipative magnetic energy scales as $k^{-11/3}\exp(-k/k_η)$. Here, the kinetic energy at large length scale feeds the large-scale magnetic field that cascades to small-scale magnetic field, which gets dissipated b…
We construct a five-mode helical dynamo model containing three velocity and two magnetic modes and solve it analytically. This model exhibits dynamo transition via supercritical pitchfork bifurcation. We show that the critical magnetic Reynolds number for dynamo transition ($\mathrm{Rm}_c$) asymptotes to constant values for very low and very high magnetic Prandtl numbers ($\mathrm{Pm}$). Beyond dynamo transition, secondary bifurcations lead to periodic, quasi-periodic, and chaotic dynamo states as the forcing amplitude is increased and chaos appears through a quasi-periodic route.
Is the scaling, λ\sim Rm^{1/2}, for the growth rate of small-scale dynamo instability at low magnetic Prandtl numbers and large magnetic Reynolds numbers, Rm, valid in the vicinity of the threshold? Our analysis and even numerical solution (Malyshkin and Boldyrev, 2010) of the dynamo equations for a Gaussian white-noise velocity field (the Kazantsev-Kraichnan model) imply that the answer is negative. Contrary to the claim by Malyshkin and Boldyrev (2010), there are two different asymptotics for the dynamo growth rate: in the vicinity of the threshold and far from the threshold.
We compute numerically the threshold for dynamo action in Taylor-Green swirling flows. Kinematic calculations, for which the flow field is fixed to its time averaged profile, are compared to dynamical runs for which both the Navier-Stokes and the induction equations are jointly solved. The kinematic instability is found to have two branches, for all explored Reynolds numbers. The dynamical dynamo threshold follows these branches: at low Reynolds number it lies within the low branch while at high kinetic Reynolds number it is close to the high branch.
The value of the Prandtl number $P$ exerts a strong influence on convection-driven dynamos in rotating spherical shells filled with electrically conducting fluids. Low Prandtl numbers promote dynamo action through the shear provided by differential rotation, while the generation of magnetic fields is more difficult to sustain in high-Prandtl-number fluids where higher values of the magnetic Prandtl number $P_m$ are required. The magnetostrophic approximation often used in dynamo theory appears to be valid only for relatively high values of $P$ and $P_m$. Dynamos with a minimum value of $P_m$ s…
In this study we discuss two key issues related to a small-scale dynamo instability at low magnetic Prandtl numbers and large magnetic Reynolds numbers, namely: (i) the scaling for the growth rate of small-scale dynamo instability in the vicinity of the dynamo threshold; (ii) the existence of the Golitsyn spectrum of magnetic fluctuations in small-scale dynamos. There are two different asymptotics for the small-scale dynamo growth rate: in the vicinity of the threshold of the excitation of the small-scale dynamo instability, $λ\propto \ln({\rm Rm}/ {\rm Rm}^{\rm cr})$, and when the magnetic Re…
The present-day Universe is highly magnetized, even though the first magnetic seed fields were most probably extremely weak. To explain the growth of the magnetic field strength over many orders of magnitude fast amplification processes need to operate. The most efficient mechanism known today is the small-scale dynamo, which converts turbulent kinetic energy into magnetic energy leading to an exponential growth of the magnetic field. The efficiency of the dynamo depends on the type of turbulence indicated by the slope of the turbulence spectrum v(l) \propto l^{theta}, where v(l) is the eddy v…
The dynamo instability is investigated in the limit of infinite magnetic Prandtl number. In this limit the fluid is assumed to be very viscous so that the inertial terms can be neglected and the flow is slaved to the forcing. The forcing consist of an external forcing function that drives the dynamo flow and the resulting Lorentz force caused by the back reaction of the magnetic field. The flows under investigation are the Archontis flow, and the ABC flow forced at two different scales. The investigation covers roughly three orders of magnitude of the magnetic Reynolds number above onset. All …
We present a three--pronged numerical approach to the dynamo problem at low magnetic Prandtl numbers $P_M$. The difficulty of resolving a large range of scales is circumvented by combining Direct Numerical Simulations, a Lagrangian-averaged model, and Large-Eddy Simulations (LES). The flow is generated by the Taylor-Green forcing; it combines a well defined structure at large scales and turbulent fluctuations at small scales. Our main findings are: (i) dynamos are observed from $P_M=1$ down to $P_M=10^{-2}$; (ii) the critical magnetic Reynolds number increases sharply with $P_M^{-1}$ as turbul…
The presence of large scale magnetic fields in nature is often attributed to the inverse cascade of magnetic helicity driven by turbulent helical dynamos. In this work we show that in turbulent helical dynamos, the inverse flux of magnetic helicity towards the large scales $Π_{\mathcal{H}}$ is bounded by $|Π_{\mathcal{H}}|\le c εk_η^{-1}$, where $ε$ is the energy injection rate, $k_η$ is the Kolmogorov magnetic dissipation wavenumber and $c$ an order one constant. Assuming the classical isotropic turbulence scaling, the inverse flux of magnetic helicity $Π_{\mathcal{H}}$ decreases at least as …
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 the plane layer geometry that is intrinsically low magnetic Prandtl number. The thermal Prandtl number and Rayleigh number are varied to illustrate fundamental changes in flow regime, ranging from laminar cellular convection to geostrophic turbulence in which an inverse energy cascade is present. A decrease in the efficiency of the convection to generate a dy…
The small-scale dynamo is a process by which turbulent kinetic energy is converted into magnetic energy, and thus is expected to depend crucially on the nature of turbulence. In this work, we present a model for the small-scale dynamo that takes into account the slope of the turbulent velocity spectrum v(l) ~ l^theta, where l and v(l) are the size of a turbulent fluctuation and the typical velocity on that scale. The time evolution of the fluctuation component of the magnetic field, i.e., the small-scale field, is described by the Kazantsev equation. We solve this linear differential equation …
Small-scale dynamos are expected to operate in all astrophysical fluids that are turbulent and electrically conducting, for example the interstellar medium, stellar interiors, and accretion disks, where they may also be affected by or competing with large-scale dynamos. However, the possibility of small-scale dynamos being excited at small and intermediate ratios of viscosity to magnetic diffusivity (the magnetic Prandtl number) has been debated, and the possibility of them depending on the large-scale forcing wavenumber has been raised. Here we show, using four values of the forcing wavenumbe…
Using results of laboratory experiments, direct numerical simulations, geomagnetic and solar observations, it is shown that high moments of helicity distribution can dominate power spectra of the magnetic field generated by the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) dynamo in swirling turbulence even for the cases with zero global helicity. The notion of helical distributed chaos has been used for this purpose.
We study the dynamo threshold of a helical flow made of a mean (stationary) plus a fluctuating part. Two flow geometries are studied, either (i) solid body or (ii) smooth. Two well-known resonant dynamo conditions, elaborated for stationary helical flows in the limit of large magnetic Reynolds numbers, are tested against lower magnetic Reynolds numbers and for fluctuating flows (zero mean). For a flow made of a mean plus a fluctuating part the dynamo threshold depends on the frequency and the strength of the fluctuation. The resonant dynamo conditions applied on the fluctuating (resp. mean) pa…
We report a series of numerical simulations showing that the critical magnetic Reynolds number Rm_c for the nonhelical small-scale dynamo depends on the Reynolds number Re. Namely, the dynamo is shut down if the magnetic Prandtl number Pr=Rm/Re is less than some critical value Pr_c<1 even for Rm for which dynamo exists at Pr>=1. We argue that, in the limit of Re->infinity, a finite Pr_c may exist. The second possibility is that Pr_c->0 as Re->infinity, while Rm_c tends to a very large constant value inaccessible at current resolutions. If there is a finite Pr_c, the dynamo is sustainable only …
Compositional convection is thought to be an important energy source for magnetic field generation within planetary interiors. The Prandtl number, $Pr$, characterizing compositional convection is significantly larger than unity, suggesting that the inertial force may not be important on the small scales of convection as long as the buoyancy force is not too strong. We develop asymptotic dynamo models for the case of small Rossby number and large Prandtl number in which inertia is absent on the convective scale. The relevant diffusivity parameter for this limit is the compositional Roberts numb…
Small-scale dynamo action is often held responsible for the generation of quiet-Sun magnetic fields. We aim to determine the excitation conditions and saturation level of small-scale dynamos in non-rotating turbulent convection at low magnetic Prandtl numbers. We use high resolution direct numerical simulations of weakly stratified turbulent convection. We find that the critical magnetic Reynolds number for dynamo excitation increases as the magnetic Prandtl number is decreased, which might suggest that small-scale dynamo action is not automatically evident in bodies with small magnetic Prandt…
Small-scale dynamos play important roles in modern astrophysics, especially on Galactic and extragalactic scales. Owing to dynamo action, purely hydrodynamic Kolmogorov turbulence hardly exists and is often replaced by hydromagnetic turbulence. Understanding the size of dissipative magnetic structures is important in estimating the time scale of Galactic scintillation and other observational and theoretical aspects of interstellar and intergalactic small-scale dynamos. Here we show that, during the kinematic phase of the small-scale dynamo, the cutoff wavenumber of the magnetic energy spectra …
This paper is a detailed report on a programme of simulations used to settle a long-standing issue in the dynamo theory and demonstrate that the fluctuation dynamo exists in the limit of large magnetic Reynolds number Rm>>1 and small magnetic Prandtl number Pm<<1. The dependence of the critical Rm_c vs. the hydrodynamic Reynolds number Re is obtained for 1<Re<6700. In the limit Pm<<1, Rm_c is ~3 times larger than for Pm>1. The stability curve Rm_c(Re) (and, it is argued, the nature of the dynamo) is substantially different from the case of the simulations and liquid-metal experiments with a me…
We investigate numerically the kinematic dynamo induced by the superposition of two helical waves in a periodic box as a simplified model to understand the dynamo action in astronomical bodies. The effects of magnetic Reynolds number, wavenumber and wave frequency on the dynamo action are studied. It is found that this helical-wave dynamo is a slow dynamo. There exists an optimal wavenumber for the dynamo growth rate. A lower wave frequency facilitates the dynamo action and the oscillations of magnetic energy emerge at some particular wave frequencies.
Dynamo action in a fully helical Beltrami (ABC) flow is studied using both direct numerical simulations and subgrid modeling. Sufficient scale separation is given in order to allow for large-scale magnetic energy build-up. Growth of magnetic energy obtains down to a magnetic Prandtl number PM=RM/RV close to 0.005, where RV and RM are the kinetic and magnetic Reynolds numbers. The critical magnetic Reynolds number for dynamo action RMc seems to saturate at values close to 20. Detailed studies of the dependence of the amplitude of the saturated magnetic energy with PM are presented. In order to …
To elucidate the influence of shear flow on the generation of magnetic field (the dynamo effect), we study the kinematic limit where the magnetic field does not backreact on the velocity field. By non-perturbatively incorporating the effect of shear in a helically forced turbulence, we show that turbulence intensity and turbulent transport coefficients (turbulent viscosity, $α$ and $β$ effect) are enhanced by a weak shear while strongly suppressed for strong shear. In particular, $β$ is shown to be much more strongly suppressed than $α$ effect. We discuss its important implications for dynamo …
In an experiment in the Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics in Perm (Russia) an non--stationary screw dynamo is intended to be realized with a helical flow of liquid sodium in a torus. The flow is necessarily turbulent, that is, may be considered as a mean flow and a superimposed turbulence. In this paper the induction processes of the turbulence are investigated within the framework of mean--field electrodynamics. They imply of course a part which leads to an enhanced dissipation of the mean magnetic field. As a consequence of the helical mean flow there are also helical structures in the…
For the understanding of planetary and stellar dynamos an overview of the major parameter dependences of convection driven dynamos in rotating spherical fluid shells is desirable. Although the computationally accessible parameter space is limited, earlier work is extended with emphasis on higher Prandtl numbers and uniform heat flux condition at the outer boundary. The transition from dynamos dominated by non-axisymmetric components of the magnetic field to those dominated by the axisymmetric components depends on the magnetic Prandtl number as well as on the ordinary Prandtl number for higher…
Recent MHD dynamo simulations for magnetic Prandtl number $>1$ demonstrate that when MHD turbulence is forced with sufficient kinetic helicity, the saturated magnetic energy spectrum evolves from having a single peak below the forcing scale to become doubly peaked with one peak at the system (=largest) scale and one at the forcing scale. The system scale field growth is well modeled by a recent nonlinear two-scale nonlinear helical dynamo theory in which the system and forcing scales carry magnetic helicity of opposite sign. But a two-scale theory cannot model the shift of the small-scale peak…
We investigate magnetic field amplification in a turbulent velocity field with nonzero helicity, in the framework of the kinematic Kazantsev-Kraichnan model. We present the numerical solution of the model for the practically important case of Kolmogorov distribution of velocity fluctuations, with a large magnetic Reynolds number. We find that in contrast to the nonhelical case where growing magnetic fields are described by a few bound eigenmodes concentrated inside the inertial interval of the velocity field, in the helical case the number of bound eigenmodes considerably increases; moreover, …
Small-scale dynamo saturation across magnetic Prandtl numbers using the EDQNM closure
International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research（国际理论科学中心，塔塔基础研究所）；Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics（大学间天文学与天体物理中心）；Department of Physics, Ashoka University（阿肖卡大学物理系）
Understanding the in situ amplification of large scale magnetic fields in turbulent astrophysical rotators has been a core subject of dynamo theory. When turbulent velocities are helical, large scale dynamos that substantially amplify fields on scales that exceed the turbulent forcing scale arise, but the minimum sufficient fractional kinetic helicity f_h,C has not been previously well quantified. Using direct numerical simulations for a simple helical dynamo, we show that f_h,C decreases as the ratio of forcing to large scale wave numbers k_F/k_min increases. From the condition that a large s…
The homogeneous dynamo effect is at the root of magnetic field generation in cosmic bodies, including planets, stars and galaxies. While the underlying theory had increasingly flourished since the middle of the 20th century, hydromagnetic dynamos were not realized in laboratory until 1999. On 11 November 1999, this situation changed with the first observation of a kinematic dynamo in the Riga experiment. Since that time, a series of experimental campaigns has provided a wealth of data on the kinematic and the saturated regime. This paper is intended to give a comprehensive survey about these e…
We consider magnetic fields generated by homogeneous isotropic and parity invariant turbulent flows. We show that simple scaling laws for dynamo threshold, magnetic energy and Ohmic dissipation can be obtained depending on the value of the magnetic Prandtl number.
Using direct numerical simulations of three-dimensional hydromagnetic turbulence, either with helical or non-helical forcing, we show that the ratio of kinetic-to-magnetic energy dissipation always increases with the magnetic Prandtl number, i.e., the ratio of kinematic viscosity to magnetic diffusivity. This dependence can always be approximated by a power law, but the exponent is not the same in all cases. For non-helical turbulence, the exponent is around 1/3, while for helical turbulence it is between 0.6 and 2/3. In the statistically steady state, the rate of the energy conversion from ki…
Understanding large-scale magnetic field growth in astrophysical objects is a persistent challenge. We tackle the long-standing question of how much helical large-scale dynamo growth occurs independent of the magnetic Reynolds number (Rm) in a closed volume. From modest-Rm numerical simulations, we identify a pre-saturation regime when the large-scale field grows independently of Rm, but to an Rm-dependent magnitude. For plausible magnetic spectra however, the analysis predicts the magnitude to be Rm-independent and substantial as Rm$\to\infty$. This gives renewed optimism for the relevance of…
The role of the moments of helicity distribution in rotating turbulence has been studied using the notion of helical distributed chaos. Results of the direct numerical simulations, laboratory experiments and geophysical observations have been used in this investigation. It is shown, in particular, that even for the cases when the global helicity is equal to zero at least even moments are usually non-zero (due to the appearance of the local spatial regions with strong negative and positive helicity) and can play a significant role in the rotating turbulence as adiabatic invariants. Rotating buo…
The existence of a weak galactic magnetic field has been repeatedly confirmed by observational data. The origin of this field has not as yet been explained in a fully satisfactory way and represents one of the main challenges of the astrophysical dynamo theory. In both the galactic dynamo theory and the primordial-origin theory, a major influence is exerted by the small-scale magnetic fluctuations. This article is devoted to constructing a systematic second-order statistical theory of such small-scale fields. The statistics of these fields are studied in the kinematic approximation and for the…
The buildup of small-scale magnetic helicity which accompanies the oppositely signed growth on large scales is central to conventional dynamical quenching theories of mean-field dynamos. However, the conventional formalism presumes isotropic turbulence and thereby excludes part of the magnetic Lorentz back-reaction. This renders it insufficient to predict the full quenching for general anisotropic flows. To overcome this deficiency, we derive a new generalized quenching formalism that includes the full back-reacting Lorentz force, and a new "selective-damping-$τ$" closure which conserves magne…
A convection-driven multiscale dynamo model is developed in the limit of low Rossby number for the plane layer geometry in which the gravity and rotation vectors are aligned. The small-scale fluctuating dynamics are described by a magnetically-modified quasi-geostrophic equation set, and the large-scale mean dynamics are governed by a diagnostic thermal wind balance. The model utilizes three timescales that respectively characterize the convective timescale, the large-scale magnetic evolution timescale, and the large-scale thermal evolution timescale. Distinct equations are derived for the cas…
In this letter we investigate the dynamics of magnetic energy growth in small-scale dynamo by studying energy transfers, mainly energy fluxes and shell-to-shell energy transfers. We perform dynamo simulations for magnetic Prandtl number $\mathrm{Pm}=20$ on $1024^3$ grid using pseudospectral method. We demonstrate that the magnetic energy growth is caused by nonlocal energy transfers from the large-scale or forcing-scale velocity field to small-scale magnetic field. The peak of these energy transfers move towards lower wavenumbers as dynamo evolves, which is the reason why the integral scale of…
We derive a new shell model of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in which the energy transfers are not necessary local. Like the original MHD equations, the model conserves the total energy, magnetic helicity, cross-helicity and volume in phase space (Liouville's theorem) apart from the effects of external forcing, viscous dissipation and magnetic diffusion. In the absence of magnetic field the model exhibits a statistically stationary kinetic energy solution with a Kolmogorov spectrum. The dynamo action from a seed magnetic field by the turbulent flow and the non linear interactions are st…
We show that in decaying hydromagnetic turbulence with initial kinetic helicity, a weak magnetic field eventually becomes fully helical. The sign of magnetic helicity is opposite to that of the kinetic helicity - regardless of whether or not the initial magnetic field was helical. The magnetic field undergoes inverse cascading with the magnetic energy decaying approximately like t^{-1/2}. This is even slower than in the fully helical case, where it decays like t^{-2/3}. In this parameter range, the product of magnetic energy and correlation length raised to a certain power slightly larger than…
The statistical properties of the subgrid energy transfers of homogeneous small-scale dynamo are investigated during the kinematic, nonlinear and statistically saturated stages. We carry out an a priori analysis of data obtained from an ensemble of direct numerical simulations on $512^3$ grid points and at unity magnetic Prandtl number. In order to provide guidance for subgrid-scale (SGS) modelling of different types of energy transfer that occur in magnetohydrodynamic dynamos, we consider the SGS stress tensors originating from inertial dynamics, Lorentz force and the magnetic induction separ…
We perform kinematic simulations of dynamo action driven by a helical small scale flow of a conducting fluid in order to deduce mean-field properties of the combined induction action of small scale eddies. We examine two different flow patterns in the style of the G.O. Roberts flow but with a mean vertical component and with internal fixtures that are modelled by regions with vanishing flow. These fixtures represent either rods that lie in the center of individual eddies, or internal dividing walls that provide a separation of the eddies from each other. The fixtures can be made of magnetic ma…
Large-scale magnetic fields in stars and galaxies are thought to arise by mean-field dynamo action due to the combined influence of both helical turbulence and shear. Those systems are also highly conducting and the turbulence therein leads to a fluctuation (or small-scale) dynamo which more rapidly amplifies magnetic field fluctuations on the eddy scales and smaller. Will this then interfere with and suppress the mean (or large-scale) field growth? Using direct numerical simulations of helical turbulence (with and without shear), we identify a novel quasi-kinematic large-scale dynamo which op…
We numerically solve the magnetic induction equation in a spherical shell geometry, with a kinematically prescribed axisymmetric flow that consists of a superposition of a small-scale helical flow and a large-scale shear flow. The small-scale flow is chosen to be a local analog of the classical Roberts cells, consisting of strongly helical vortex rolls. The large-scale flow is a shearing motion in either the radial or the latitudinal directions. In the absence of large-scale shear, the small-scale flow is an efficient dynamo, in agreement with previous results. Adding increasingly large shear …
We investigate the Lagrangian mechanism of the kinematic ``fluctuation'' magnetic dynamo in turbulent plasma flow at small magnetic Prandtl numbers. The combined effect of turbulent advection and plasma resistivity is to carry infinitely many field lines to each space point, with the resultant magnetic field at that point given by the average over all the individual line vectors. As a consequence of the roughness of the advecting velocity, this remains true even in the limit of zero resistivity. We show that the presence of dynamo effect requires sufficient angular correlation of the passive l…
The dynamics of convecting fluids in rotating spherical shells is governed at Prandtl numbers of the order unity by the interaction between differential rotation and roll-like convection eddies. While the differential rotation is driven by the Reynolds stresses of the eddies, its shearing action inhibits convection and causes phenomena such as localized convection and turbulent relaxation oscillations. The response of the system is enriched in the case of dynamo action. Lorentz forces may brake either entirely or partially the geostrophic differential rotation and give rise to two rather diffe…
We present direct numerical simulations and alpha-model simulations of four familiar three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence effects: selective decay, dynamic alignment, inverse cascade of magnetic helicity, and the helical dynamo effect. The MHD alpha-model is shown to capture the long-wavelength spectra in all these problems, allowing for a significant reduction of computer time and memory at the same kinetic and magnetic Reynolds numbers. In the helical dynamo, not only does the alpha-model correctly reproduce the growth rate of magnetic energy during the kinematic regime, bu…
We present direct numerical simulations of reversals of the magnetic field generated by swirling flows in a spherical domain. In agreement with a recent model, we observe that coupling dipolar and quadrupolar magnetic modes by an asymmetric forcing of the flow generates field reversals. In addition, we show that this mechanism strongly depends on the value of the magnetic Prandtl number.
We study semi-analytically and in a consistent manner, the generation of a mean velocity field $\bar{\mathbf{U}}$ by helical MHD turbulence, and the effect that this field can have on a Mean Field Dynamo. Assuming a prescribed, maximally helical small scale velocity field, we show that large scale flows can be generated in MHD turbulent flows, via small scale Lorentz force. These flows back-react on the mean electromotive force of a Mean Field Dynamo through new terms, leaving the original $α$ and $β$ terms explicitly unmodified. Cross-helicity plays the key role in interconnecting all the eff…
Using direct numerical simulations of the equations of magnetohydrodynamics, we study reversals of the magnetic field generated by the flow of an electrically conducting fluid in a sphere. We show that at low magnetic Prandtl numbers, Pm=0.5, the decrease of magnetic energy, ohmic dissipation and power of the Lorentz force during a reversal is followed by an increase of the power injected by the force driving the flow and an increase of viscous dissipation. Cross correlations show that the Lorentz energy flux is in advance with respect to the other energy fluxes. We also observe that during a …
While the saturated magnetic energy is independent of viscosity in dynamo experiments, it remains viscosity-dependent in state-of-the-art 3D direct numerical simulations (DNS). Extrapolating such viscous scaling-laws to realistic parameter values leads to an underestimation of the magnetic energy by several orders of magnitude. The origin of this discrepancy is that fully 3D DNS cannot reach low enough values of the magnetic Prandtl number $Pm$. To bypass this limitation and investigate dynamo saturation at very low $Pm$, we focus on the vicinity of the dynamo threshold in a rapidly rotating f…
