scholarly journals Turbulent diffusion and galactic magnetism

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 432-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Brandenburg ◽  
Fabio Del Sordo
Keyword(s):  
Turbulent Diffusion ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Field Method ◽  
Test Field ◽  
Expansion Waves ◽  
Magnetic Diffusivity ◽  
Spherical Expansion ◽  
Mean Field Dynamo

AbstractUsing the test-field method for nearly irrotational turbulence driven by spherical expansion waves it is shown that the turbulent magnetic diffusivity increases with magnetic Reynolds numbers. Its value levels off at several times the rms velocity of the turbulence multiplied by the typical radius of the expansion waves. This result is discussed in the context of the galactic mean-field dynamo.

scholarly journals On the shear-current effect: Toward understanding why theories and simulations have mutually and separately conflicted

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongzhe Zhou ◽  
Eric G Blackman
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Index ◽  
Theoretical Calculations ◽  
Strong Dependence ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Test Field ◽  
Current Effect ◽  
Dynamo Theory ◽  
Shear Current ◽  
O 10

Abstract The shear-current effect (SCE) of mean-field dynamo theory refers to the combination of a shear flow and a turbulent coefficient β21 with a favorable negative sign for exponential mean-field growth, rather than positive for diffusion. There have been long standing disagreements among theoretical calculations and comparisons of theory with numerical experiments as to the sign of kinetic ($\beta ^u_{21}$) and magnetic ($\beta ^b_{21}$) contributions. To resolve these discrepancies, we combine an analytical approach with simulations, and show that unlike $\beta ^b_{21}$, the kinetic SCE $\beta ^u_{21}$ has a strong dependence on the kinetic energy spectral index and can transit from positive to negative values at $\mathcal {O}(10)$ Reynolds numbers if the spectrum is not too steep. Conversely, $\beta ^b_{21}$ is always negative regardless of the spectral index and Reynolds numbers. For very steep energy spectra, the positive $\beta ^u_{21}$ can dominate even at energy equipartition urms ≃ brms, resulting in a positive total β21 even though $\beta ^b_{21}<0$. Our findings bridge the gap between the seemingly contradictory results from the second-order-correlation approximation (SOCA) versus the spectral-τ closure (STC), for which opposite signs for $\beta ^u_{21}$ have been reported, with the same sign for $\beta ^b_{21}<0$. The results also offer an explanation for the simulations that find $\beta ^u_{21}>0$ and an inconclusive overall sign of β21 for $\mathcal {O}(10)$ Reynolds numbers. The transient behaviour of $\beta ^u_{21}$ is demonstrated using the kinematic test-field method. We compute dynamo growth rates for cases with or without rotation, and discuss opportunities for further work.

scholarly journals The nature of mean-field generation in three classes of optimal dynamos

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Brandenburg ◽  
Long Chen
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Growth Rate ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Magnetic Energy ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Dynamo Action ◽  
Magnetic Diffusivity ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Mean Field Dynamo

In recent years, several optimal dynamos have been discovered. They minimize the magnetic energy dissipation or, equivalently, maximize the growth rate at a fixed magnetic Reynolds number. In the optimal dynamo of Willis (Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 109, 2012, 251101), we find mean-field dynamo action for planar averages. One component of the magnetic field grows exponentially while the other decays in an oscillatory fashion near onset. This behaviour is different from that of an $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}^{2}$ dynamo, where the two non-vanishing components of the planar averages are coupled and have the same growth rate. For the Willis dynamo, we find that the mean field is excited by a negative turbulent magnetic diffusivity, which has a non-uniform spatial profile near onset. The temporal oscillations in the decaying component are caused by the corresponding component of the diffusivity tensor being complex when the mean field is decaying and, in this way, time dependent. The growing mean field can be modelled by a negative magnetic diffusivity combined with a positive magnetic hyperdiffusivity. In two other classes of optimal dynamos of Chen et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 783, 2015, pp. 23–45), we find, to some extent, similar mean-field dynamo actions. When the magnetic boundary conditions are mixed, the two components of the planar averaged field grow at different rates when the dynamo is 15 % supercritical. When the mean magnetic field satisfies homogeneous boundary conditions (where the magnetic field is tangential to the boundary), mean-field dynamo action is found for one-dimensional averages, but not for planar averages. Despite having different spatial profiles, both dynamos show negative turbulent magnetic diffusivities. Our finding suggests that negative turbulent magnetic diffusivities may support a broader class of dynamos than previously thought, including these three optimal dynamos.

scholarly journals On the problem of large-scale magnetic field generation in rotating compressible convection

2013 ◽  
Vol 723 ◽  
pp. 529-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Favier ◽  
P. J. Bushby
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Compressible Flows ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Dynamo Model ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Test Field ◽  
Computational Domain ◽  
Magnetic Field Generation ◽  
Mean Field Dynamo

AbstractMean-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 $\alpha $-effect operates more efficiently than (turbulent) magnetic diffusion, such a system should be capable of sustaining a large-scale dynamo. However, in the Boussinesq model that was considered by Cattaneo & Hughes (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 553, 2006, pp. 401–418) the dynamo produced small-scale, intermittent magnetic fields with no significant large-scale component. In this paper, we consider the compressible analogue of the rotating convective layer that was considered by Cattaneo & Hughes (2006). Varying the horizontal scale of the computational domain, we investigate the dependence of the dynamo upon the rotation rate. Our simulations indicate that these turbulent compressible flows can drive a small-scale dynamo but, even when the layer is rotating very rapidly (with a mid-layer Taylor number of $Ta= 1{0}^{8} $), we find no evidence for the generation of a significant large-scale component of the magnetic field on a dynamical time scale. Like Cattaneo & Hughes (2006), we measure a negligible (time-averaged) $\alpha $-effect when a uniform horizontal magnetic field is imposed across the computational domain. Although the total horizontal magnetic flux is a conserved quantity in these simulations, the (depth-dependent) horizontally averaged magnetic field always exhibits strong fluctuations. If these fluctuations are artificially suppressed within the code, we measure a significant mean electromotive force that is comparable to that found in related calculations in which the $\alpha $-effect is measured using the test-field method, even though we observe no large-scale dynamo action.

scholarly journals On the combined role of cosmic rays and supernova-driven turbulence for galactic dynamos

2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (3) ◽  
pp. 3527-3535
Author(s):  
Abhijit B Bendre ◽  
Detlef Elstner ◽  
Oliver Gressel
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Fields ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Field Method ◽  
Dynamo Model ◽  
Test Field ◽  
Dynamo Action ◽  
Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations

ABSTRACT Large-scale coherent magnetic fields observed in the nearby galaxies are thought to originate by a mean-field dynamo. This is governed via the turbulent electromotive force (EMF, $\overline{{\boldsymbol {\cal E}} {}}$) generated by the helical turbulence driven by supernova (SN) explosions in the differentially rotating interstellar medium (ISM). In this paper, we aim to investigate the possibility of dynamo action by the virtue of buoyancy due to a cosmic ray (CR) component injected through the SN explosions. We do this by analysing the magnetohydrodynamic simulations of local shearing box of ISM in which the turbulence is driven via random SN explosions and the energy of the explosion is distributed in the CR and/or thermal energy components. We use the magnetic field aligned diffusion prescription for the propagation of CR. We compare the evolution of magnetic fields in the models with the CR component to our previous models that did not involve the CR. We demonstrate that the inclusion of CR component enhances the growth of dynamo slightly. We further compute the underlying dynamo coefficients using the test-field method and argue that the entire evolution of the large-scale mean magnetic field can be reproduced with an α − Ω dynamo model. We also show that the inclusion of CR component leads to an unbalanced turbulent pumping between magnetic field components and additional dynamo action by the Rädler effect.

scholarly journals Advances in mean-field dynamo theory and applications to astrophysical turbulence

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Brandenburg
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Fields ◽  
Early Universe ◽  
Mean Field Theory ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Field Method ◽  
Magnetic Helicity ◽  
Test Field ◽  
Dynamo Theory ◽  
Length Scales ◽  
Recent Advances

Recent advances in mean-field theory are reviewed and applications to the Sun, late-type stars, accretion disks, galaxies and the early Universe are discussed. We focus particularly on aspects of spatio-temporal non-locality, which provided some of the main new qualitative and quantitative insights that emerged from applying the test-field method to magnetic fields of different length and time scales. We also review the status of nonlinear quenching and the relation to magnetic helicity, which is an important observational diagnostic of modern solar dynamo theory. Both solar and some stellar dynamos seem to operate in an intermediate regime that has not yet been possible to model successfully. This regime is bracketed by antisolar-like differential rotation on one end and stellar activity cycles belonging to the superactive stars on the other. The difficulty in modelling this regime may be related to shortcomings in simulating solar/stellar convection. On galactic and extragalactic length scales, the observational constraints on dynamo theory are still less stringent and more uncertain, but recent advances both in theory and observations suggest that more conclusive comparisons may soon be possible also here. The possibility of inversely cascading magnetic helicity in the early Universe is particularly exciting in explaining the recently observed lower limits of magnetic fields on cosmological length scales. Such magnetic fields may be helical with the same sign of magnetic helicity throughout the entire Universe. This would be a manifestation of parity breaking.

Lagrangian approach to the mean-field electrodynamics for turbulent fluids with arbitrary conductivities

1989 ◽  
Vol 208 ◽  
pp. 115-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. L. Kichatinov
Keyword(s):  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Convective Transport ◽  
Lagrangian Approach ◽  
Compressible Turbulence ◽  
Magnetic Diffusivity ◽  
Alpha Effect ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Turbulent Fluids

A modification is made to the traditional Lagrangian approach to the derivation of the mean EMF of turbulent fluids which allows for finite conductivities. Consideration is confined to the case of homogeneous, isotropic but generally mirrornon-invariant and compressible turbulence. The eddy magnetic diffusivity and the coefficient α of the alpha-effect are expressed in terms of statistical moments of displacements of adjacent particles which undergo convective transport and microscopic diffusion in a turbulent flow. These expressions, being valid for arbitrary conductivities, reproduce known results in the cases of both very large and very small magnetic Reynolds numbers. Difficulties and advantages of the use of the results obtained for evaluations of the mean EMF are discussed.

scholarly journals Test-field method for mean-field coefficients with MHD background

2010 ◽  
Vol 520 ◽  
pp. A28 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Rheinhardt ◽  
A. Brandenburg
Keyword(s):  
Mean Field ◽  
Field Method ◽  
Test Field

scholarly journals Supernova-driven interstellar turbulence and the galactic dynamo

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S274) ◽  
pp. 348-354
Author(s):  
Oliver Gressel ◽  
Detlef Elstner ◽  
Günther Rüdiger
Keyword(s):  
Mean Field ◽  
Field Method ◽  
Test Field ◽  
Dynamo Theory ◽  
Quasilinear Theory ◽  
Interstellar Turbulence ◽  
Supernova Explosions ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Numerical Astrophysics

AbstractThe fractal shape and multi-component nature of the interstellar medium together with its vast range of dynamical scales provides one of the great challenges in theoretical and numerical astrophysics. Here we will review recent progress in the direct modelling of interstellar hydromagnetic turbulence, focusing on the role of energy injection by supernova explosions. The implications for dynamo theory will be discussed in the context of the mean-field approach.Results obtained with the test field-method are confronted with analytical predictions and estimates from quasilinear theory. The simulation results enforce the classical understanding of a turbulent Galactic dynamo and, more importantly, yield new quantitative insights. The derived scaling relations enable confident global mean-field modelling.

scholarly journals On the spatial and temporal non-locality of dynamo mean-field effects in supersonic interstellar turbulence

2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (1) ◽  
pp. 1180-1188
Author(s):  
Oliver Gressel ◽  
Detlef Elstner
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Field Method ◽  
Relevant Parameter ◽  
Test Field ◽  
Surprising Result ◽  
Closure Relation ◽  
Interstellar Turbulence ◽  
Field Effects ◽  
Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations

ABSTRACT The interstellar medium (ISM) of the Milky Way and nearby disc galaxies harbour large-scale coherent magnetic fields of microgauss strength, that can be explained via the action of a mean-field dynamo. As in our previous work, we aim to quantify dynamo effects that are self-consistently emerging in realistic direct magnetohydrodynamic simulations, but we generalize our approach to the case of a non-local (non-instantaneous) closure relation, described by a convolution integral in space (time). To this end, we leverage our comprehensive simulation framework for the supernova-regulated turbulent multiphase ISM. By introducing spatially (temporally) modulated mean fields, we extend the previously used test-field method to the spectral realm – providing the Fourier representation of the convolution kernels. The resulting spectra of the dynamo mean-field coefficients that we obtain broadly match expectations and allow to rigorously constrain the degree of scale separation in the Galactic dynamo. A surprising result is found for the diamagnetic pumping term, which increases in amplitude when going to smaller scales. Our results amount to the most comprehensive description of dynamo mean-field effects in the Galactic context to date. Surveying the relevant parameter space and quenching behaviour, this will ultimately enable the development of assumption-free subgrid prescriptions for otherwise unresolved global galaxy simulations.

Magnetic helicity in non-axisymmetric mean-field dynamo

2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-154
Author(s):  
V. V. Pipin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mean Field ◽  
Magnetic Helicity ◽  
Mean Field Dynamo
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document