The solar dynamo

The solar dynamo continues to pose a challenge to observers and theoreticians. Observations of the solar surface reveal a magnetic field with a complex, hierarchical structure consisting of widely different scales. Systematic features such as the solar cycle, the butterfly diagram, and Hale's polarity laws point to the existence of a deep-rooted large-scale magnetic field. At the other end of the scale are magnetic elements and small-scale mixed-polarity magnetic fields. In order to explain these phenomena, dynamo theory provides all the necessary ingredients including the effect, magnetic field amplification by differential rotation, magnetic pumping, turbulent diffusion, magnetic buoyancy, flux storage, stochastic variations and nonlinear dynamics. Due to advances in helioseismology, observations of stellar magnetic fields and computer capabilities, significant progress has been made in our understanding of these and other aspects such as the role of the tachocline, convective plumes and magnetic helicity conservation. However, remaining uncertainties about the nature of the deep-seated toroidal magnetic field and the effect, and the forbidding range of length scales of the magnetic field and the flow have thus far prevented the formulation of a coherent model for the solar dynamo. A preliminary evaluation of the various dynamo models that have been proposed seems to favor a buoyancy-driven or distributed scenario. The viewpoint proposed here is that progress in understanding the solar dynamo and explaining the observations can be achieved only through a combination of approaches including local numerical experiments and global mean-field modeling.Received: 5 May 2003, Published online: 15 July 2003     

Towards a model for the solar dynamo

We study a mean field model of the solar dynamo, in which the non-linearity is the action of the azimuthal component of the Lorentz force of the dynamo-generated magnetic field on the angular velocity. The underlying zero-order angular velocity is consistent with recent determinations of the solar rotation law, and the form of the alpha effect is chosen so as to give a plausible butterfly diagram. For small Prandtl numbers we find regular, intermittent and apparently chaotic behaviour, depending on the size of the alpha coefficient. For certain parameters, the intermittency displays some of the characteristics believed to be associated with the Maunder minimum. We thus believe that we are capturing some features of the solar dynamo.     

On global solar dynamo simulations

Global dynamo simulations solving the equations of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) have been a tool of astrophysicists who try to understand the magnetism of the Sun for several decades now. During recent years many fundamental issues in dynamo theory have been studied in detail by means of local numerical simulations that simplify the problem and allow the study of physical effects in isolation. Global simulations, however, continue to suffer from the age‐old problem of too low spatial resolution, leading to much lower Reynolds numbers and scale separation than in the Sun. Reproducing the internal rotation of the Sun, which plays a crucial role in the dynamo process, has also turned out to be a very difficult problem. In the present paper the current status of global dynamo simulations of the Sun is reviewed. Emphasis is put on efforts to understand how the large‐scale magnetic fields, i.e. whose length scale is greater than the scale of turbulence, are generated in the Sun. Some lessons from mean‐field theory and local simulations are reviewed and their possible implications to the global models are discussed. Possible remedies to some current issues of solar simulations are put forward (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Alleviation of catastrophic quenching in solar dynamo model with nonlocal alpha‐effect

The nonlocal alpha‐effect of Babcock‐Leighton type is not prone to the catastrophic quenching due to conservation of magnetic helicity. This is shown with a dynamo model, which jointly applies the nonlocal alpha‐effect, the diamagnetic pumping, and dynamical equation for the magnetic alpha‐effect. The same model shows catastrophic quenching when the alpha‐effect is changed to its local formulation. The nonlocal model shows a preferred excitation of magnetic fields of dipolar symmetry, which oscillate with a period of about ten years and have a toroidal‐to‐polar fields ratio of about a thousand (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The role of magnetic buoyancy in a Babcock-Leighton type solar dynamo

We study the effects of incorporating magnetic buoyancy in a model of the solar dynamo—which draws inspiration from the Babcock-Leighton idea of surface processes generating the poloidal field. We present our main results here.     

A dynamo model for axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric solar magnetic fields

More and more observations are showing a relatively weak, but persistent, non-axisymmetric magnetic field co-existing with the dominant axisymmetric field on the Sun. Its existence indicates that the non-axisymmetric magnetic field plays an important role in the origin of solar activity. A linear non-axisymmetric  α²– Ω  dynamo model is derived to explore the characteristics of the axisymmetric  ( m = 0)  and the first non-axisymmetric  ( m = 1)  modes and to provide a theoretical basis with which to explain the 'active longitude', 'flip-flop' and other non-axisymmetric phenomena. The model consists of an updated solar internal differential rotation, a turbulent diffusivity varying with depth, and an α-effect working at the tachocline in a rotating spherical system. The difference between the  α²–Ω  and the  α–Ω  models and the conditions that favour the non-axisymmetric modes under solar-like parameters are also presented.     

On the possibility of a bimodal solar dynamo

A simple way to couple an interface dynamo model to a fast tachocline model is presented, under the assumption that the dynamo saturation is due to a quadratic process and that the effect of finite shear layer thickness on the dynamo wave frequency is analogous to the effect of finite water depth on surface gravity waves. The model contains one free parameter which is fixed by the requirement that a solution should reproduce the helioseismically determined thickness of the tachocline. In this case it is found that, in addition to this solution, another steady solution exists, characterized by a four times thicker tachocline and 4–5 times weaker magnetic fields. It is tempting to relate the existence of this second solution to the occurrence of grand minima in solar activity. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Helicity of solar active regions from a dynamo model

We calculate helicities of solar active regions based on the idea that poloidal flux lines get wrapped around a toroidal flux tube rising through the convection zone, thereby giving rise to the helicity. We use our solar dynamo model based on the Babcock-Leighton α-effect to study how helicity varies with latitude and time.     

The role of the Yoshizawa effect in the Archontis dynamo

The generation of mean magnetic fields is studied for a simple non-helical flow where a net cross-helicity of either sign can emerge. This flow, which is also known as the Archontis flow, is a generalization of the Arnold–Beltrami–Childress flow, but with the cosine terms omitted. The presence of cross-helicity leads to a mean-field dynamo effect that is known as the Yoshizawa effect. Direct numerical simulations of such flows demonstrate the presence of magnetic fields on scales larger than the scale of the flow. Contrary to earlier expectations, the Yoshizawa effect is found to be proportional to the mean magnetic field and can therefore lead to its exponential instead of just linear amplification for magnetic Reynolds numbers that exceed a certain critical value. Unlike α effect dynamos, it is found that the Yoshizawa effect is not notably constrained by the presence of a conservation law. It is argued that this is due to the presence of a forcing term in the momentum equation, which leads to a non-zero correlation with the magnetic field. Finally, the application to energy convergence in solar wind turbulence is discussed.     

Dynamics of the solar tachocline – I. An incompressible study

Gough & McIntyre have suggested that the dynamics of the solar tachocline are dominated by the advection–diffusion balance between the differential rotation, a large-scale primordial field and baroclinicly driven meridional motions. This paper presents the first part of a study of the tachocline, in which a model of the rotation profile below the convection zone is constructed along the lines suggested by Gough & McIntyre and solved numerically. In this first part, a reduced model of the tachocline is derived in which the effects of compressibility and energy transport on the system are neglected; the meridional motions are driven instead by Ekman–Hartmann pumping. Through this simplification, the interaction of the fluid flow and the magnetic field can be isolated and is studied through non-linear numerical analysis for various field strengths and diffusivities. It is shown that there exists only a narrow range of magnetic field strengths for which the system can achieve a nearly uniform rotation. The results are discussed with respect to observations and to the limitations of this initial approach. A following paper combines the effects of realistic baroclinic driving and stratification with a model that closely follows the lines of work of Gough & McIntyre.     

Whistler wave cascades in solar wind plasma

Non-linear, three-dimensional, time-dependent fluid simulations of whistler wave turbulence are performed to investigate role of whistler waves in solar wind plasma turbulence in which characteristic turbulent fluctuations are characterized typically by the frequency and length-scales that are, respectively, bigger than ion gyrofrequency and smaller than ion gyroradius. The electron inertial length is an intrinsic length-scale in whistler wave turbulence that distinguishably divides the high-frequency solar wind turbulent spectra into scales smaller and bigger than the electron inertial length. Our simulations find that the dispersive whistler modes evolve entirely differently in the two regimes. While the dispersive whistler wave effects are stronger in the large-scale regime, they do not influence the spectral cascades which are describable by a Kolmogorov-like   k ^−7/3  spectrum. By contrast, the small-scale turbulent fluctuations exhibit a Navier–Stokes-like evolution where characteristic turbulent eddies exhibit a typical   k ^−5/3  hydrodynamic turbulent spectrum. By virtue of equipartition between the wave velocity and magnetic fields, we quantify the role of whistler waves in the solar wind plasma fluctuations.     

Analysis of the effect of a mean velocity field on a mean field dynamo

We study semi-analytically and in a consistent manner the generation of a mean velocity field     by helical magnetohydrodynamical (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 effects. In the minimal τ closure that we chose to work with, the effects are stronger for large relaxation times.     

Flux-dominated solar dynamo model with a thin shear layer

Flux-dominated solar dynamo models have demonstrated to reproduce the main features of the large scale solar magnetic cycle, however the use of a solar like differential rotation profile implies in the the formation of strong toroidal magnetic fields at high latitudes where they are not observed. In this work, we invoke the hypothesis of a thin-width tachocline in order to confine the high-latitude toroidal magnetic fields to a small area below the overshoot layer, thus avoiding its influence on a Babcock-Leighton type dynamo process. Our results favor a dynamo operating inside the convection zone with a tachocline that essentially works as a storage region when it coincides with the overshoot layer. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Small-scale magnetic helicity losses from a mean-field dynamo

Using mean-field models with a dynamical quenching formalism, we show that in finite domains magnetic helicity fluxes associated with small-scale magnetic fields are able to alleviate catastrophic quenching. We consider fluxes that result from advection by a mean flow, the turbulent mixing down the gradient of mean small-scale magnetic helicity density or the explicit removal which may be associated with the effects of coronal mass ejections in the Sun. In the absence of shear, all the small-scale magnetic helicity fluxes are found to be equally strong for both large- and small-scale fields. In the presence of shear, there is also an additional magnetic helicity flux associated with the mean field, but this flux does not alleviate catastrophic quenching. Outside the dynamo-active region, there are neither sources nor sinks of magnetic helicity, so in a steady state this flux must be constant. It is shown that unphysical behaviour emerges if the small-scale magnetic helicity flux is forced to vanish within the computational domain.     

Non-axisymmetric solar magnetic fields

A simple non-linear, non-axisymmetric mean field dynamo model is applied to a differentially rotating spherical shell. Two approximations are used for the angular velocity, to represent what is now believed to be the solar rotation law. In each case, stable solutions are found which possess a small non-axisymmetric field component. Although the model has a number of obvious shortcomings, it may be relevant to the problem of the solar active longitudes.