Necessary conditions for the magnetohydrodynamic dynamo

Abstract

A magnetohydrodynamic, dynamo driven by convection in a rotating spherical shell is supposed to have averages that are independent of time. Two cases are considered, one driven by a fixed temperature difference R and the other by a given internal heating rate Q. It is found that when q, the ratio of thermal conductivity to magnetic diffusivity, is small, R must be of order q ^?4/3 and Q of order q ^?2 for dynamo action to be possible; q is small in the Earth's core, so it is hoped that the criteria will prove useful in practical as well as theoretical studies of dynamic dynamos. The criteria can be further strengthened when the ohmic dissipation of the field is significant in the energy balance. The development includes the derivation of two necessary conditions for dynamo action, both based on the viscous dissipation rate of the velocity field that drives the dynamo.