scholarly journals Dynamo action of the zonal winds in Jupiter

2019 ◽  
Vol 629 ◽  
pp. A125 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wicht ◽  
T. Gastine ◽  
L. D. V. Duarte ◽  
W. Dietrich

The new data delivered by NASA’s Juno spacecraft significantly increase our understanding of the internal dynamics of Jupiter. The gravity data constrain the depth of the zonal flows observed at cloud level and suggest that they slow down considerably at a depth of about 0.96 rJ, where rJ is the mean radius at the one bar level. The magnetometer onboard Juno reveals the internal magnetic field of the planet. We combine the new zonal flow and magnetic field models with an updated electrical conductivity profile to assess the zonal-wind-induced dynamo action, concentrating on the outer part of the molecular hydrogen region of Jupiter where the conductivity increases very rapidly with depth. Dynamo action remains quasi-stationary and can therefore reasonably be estimated where the magnetic Reynolds number remains smaller than one, which is roughly the region above 0.96 rJ. We calculate that the locally induced radial magnetic field reaches rms values of about 10−6 T in this region and may just be detectable by the Juno mission. Very localized dynamo action and a distinct pattern that reflects the zonal wind system increases the chance to disentangle this locally induced field from the background field. The estimates of the locally induced currents also allow calculation of the zonal-flow-related Ohmic heating and associated entropy production. The respective quantities remain below new revised predictions for the total dissipative heating and total entropy production in Jupiter for any of the explored model combinations. Thus, neither Ohmic heating nor entropy production offer additional constraints on the depth of the zonal winds.

2018 ◽  
Vol 216 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
R J Teed ◽  
C A Jones ◽  
S M Tobias

SUMMARY Turbulence and waves in Earth’s iron-rich liquid outer core are believed to be responsible for the generation of the geomagnetic field via dynamo action. When waves break upon the mantle they cause a shift in the rotation rate of Earth’s solid exterior and contribute to variations in the length-of-day on a ∼6-yr timescale. Though the outer core cannot be probed by direct observation, such torsional waves are believed to propagate along Earth’s radial magnetic field, but as yet no self-consistent mechanism for their generation has been determined. Here we provide evidence of a realistic physical excitation mechanism for torsional waves observed in numerical simulations. We find that inefficient convection above and below the solid inner core traps buoyant fluid forming a density gradient between pole and equator, similar to that observed in Earth’s atmosphere. Consequently, a shearing jet stream—a ‘thermal wind’—is formed near the inner core; evidence of such a jet has recently been found. Owing to the sharp density gradient and influence of magnetic field, convection at this location is able to operate with the turnover frequency required to generate waves. Amplified by the jet it then triggers a train of oscillations. Our results demonstrate a plausible mechanism for generating torsional waves under Earth-like conditions and thus further cement their importance for Earth’s core dynamics.


2011 ◽  
Vol 688 ◽  
pp. 5-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binod Sreenivasan ◽  
Chris A. Jones

AbstractNumerical dynamo models based on convection-driven flow in a rapidly rotating spherical shell frequently give rise to strong, stable, dipolar magnetic fields. Dipolar dynamos can be subcritical in the sense that strong magnetic fields are sustained at a Rayleigh number lower than that required for a dynamo to grow from a small seed field. In this paper we find subcritical behaviour in dynamos in line with previous studies. We explore the action of Lorentz force in a rotating dynamo which gives rise to a strong preference for dipolar modes over quadrupolar modes, and also makes subcritical behaviour more likely to occur. The coherent structures that arise in rapidly rotating convection are affected by the magnetic field in ways which strongly increase their helicity, particularly if the magnetic field is dipolar. As helicity enhances dynamo action, an existing magnetic field can hold itself up, which leads to subcritical behaviour in the dynamo. We investigate this mechanism by means of the asymptotic small Ekman number theory of rapidly rotating magnetoconvection, and compare our results with fully nonlinear dynamo simulations. There are also other mechanisms which can promote subcritical behaviour. When Reynolds stresses are significant, zonal flows can lower the helicity and disrupt the onset of dynamo action, but an established dipole field can suppress the zonal flow, and hence boost the helicity. Subcriticality means that a slow gradual reduction in Rayleigh number can lead to a catastrophic collapse of the dynamo once a critical Rayleigh number is reached. While there is little evidence that the Earth is currently in a subcritical regime, this may have implications for the long-term evolution of the geodynamo.


2000 ◽  
Vol 179 ◽  
pp. 379-380
Author(s):  
Gaetano Belvedere ◽  
Kirill Kuzanyan ◽  
Dmitry Sokoloff

Extended abstractHere we outline how asymptotic models may contribute to the investigation of mean field dynamos applied to the solar convective zone. We calculate here a spatial 2-D structure of the mean magnetic field, adopting real profiles of the solar internal rotation (the Ω-effect) and an extended prescription of the turbulent α-effect. In our model assumptions we do not prescribe any meridional flow that might seriously affect the resulting generated magnetic fields. We do not assume apriori any region or layer as a preferred site for the dynamo action (such as the overshoot zone), but the location of the α- and Ω-effects results in the propagation of dynamo waves deep in the convection zone. We consider an axially symmetric magnetic field dynamo model in a differentially rotating spherical shell. The main assumption, when using asymptotic WKB methods, is that the absolute value of the dynamo number (regeneration rate) |D| is large, i.e., the spatial scale of the solution is small. Following the general idea of an asymptotic solution for dynamo waves (e.g., Kuzanyan & Sokoloff 1995), we search for a solution in the form of a power series with respect to the small parameter |D|–1/3(short wavelength scale). This solution is of the order of magnitude of exp(i|D|1/3S), where S is a scalar function of position.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 657-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Sheng ◽  
J. W. Li ◽  
Y. Jiang ◽  
S. D. Zhou ◽  
W. L. Shi

AbstractStratospheric winds play a significant role in middle atmosphere dynamics, model research, and carrier rocket experiments. For the first time, 65 sets of rocket sounding experiments conducted at Jiuquan (41.1°N, 100.2°E), China, from 1967 to 2004 are presented to study horizontal wind fields in the stratosphere. At a fixed height, wind speed obeys the lognormal distribution. Seasonal mean winds are westerly in winter and easterly in summer. In spring and autumn, zonal wind directions change from the upper to the lower stratosphere. The monthly zonal mean winds have an annual cycle period with large amplitudes at high altitudes. The correlation coefficients for zonal winds between observations and the Horizontal Wind Model (HWM) with all datasets are 0.7. The MERRA reanalysis is in good agreement with rocketsonde data according to the zonal winds comparison with a coefficient of 0.98. The sudden stratospheric warming is an important contribution to biases in the HWM, because it changes the zonal wind direction in the midlatitudes. Both the model and the reanalysis show dramatic meridional wind differences with the observation data.


2011 ◽  
Vol 105-107 ◽  
pp. 2289-2294
Author(s):  
Jun Qiang Lian ◽  
Shun Yi Xie ◽  
Jian Wang

This paper provide two methods to analyze the cogging torque of PM motor with radial magnetic field and parallel magnetic field, FEM method and Analytic method. The FEM model and Analytic model of PM motor with radial magnetic field and parallel magnetic field are founded. We analyze the model in both methods. From the result of analysis. The air-gap magnetic density of PM motor can be analyzed. We can find the cogging torque of radial magnetic field PM motor is much heavily than the cogging torque of parallel magnetic field PM motor. The result of Analytic method is close to the result of FEM method. The Analytic method is useful in analyze the cogging torque of PM motor.


1962 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. F. Hughes ◽  
R. A. Elco

The motion of an electrically conducting, incompressible, viscous fluid in the presence of a magnetic field is analyzed for flow between two parallel disks, one of which rotates at a constant angular velocity. The specific application to liquid metal lubrication in thrust bearings is considered. The two field configurations discussed are: an axial magnetic field with a radial current and a radial magnetic field with an axial current. It is shown that the load capacity of the bearing is dependent on the MHD interactions in the fluid and that the frictional torque on the rotor can be made zero for both field configurations by supplying electrical energy through the electrodes to the fluid.


1970 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. K. Moffatt

The effect of turbulence on a magnetic field whose length-scale L is initially large compared with the scale l of the turbulence is considered. There are no external sources for the field, and in the absence of turbulence it decays by ohmic dissipation. It is assumed that the magnetic Reynolds number Rm = u0l/λ (where u0 is the root-mean-square velocity and λ the magnetic diffusivity) is small. It is shown that to lowest order in the small quantities l/L and Rm, isotropic turbulence has no effect on the large-scale field; but that turbulence that lacks reflexional symmetry is capable of amplifying Fourier components of the field on length scales of order Rm−2l and greater. In the case of turbulence whose statistical properties are invariant under rotation of the axes of reference, but not under reflexions in a point, it is shown that the magnetic energy density of a magnetic field which is initially a homogeneous random function of position with a particularly simple spectrum ultimately increases as t−½exp (α2t/2λ3) where α(= O(u02l)) is a certain linear functional of the spectrum tensor of the turbulence. An analogous result is obtained for an initially localized field.


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