Matthias Rheinhardt

Mean-field concept and direct numerical simulations of rotating magnetoconvection and the geodynamo

Mean-field theory describes magnetohydrodynamic processes leading to large-scale magnetic fields in various cosmic objects. In this study magnetoconvection and dynamo processes in a rotating spherical shell are considered. Mean fields are defined by azimuthal averaging. In the framework of mean-field theory, the coefficients which determine the traditional representation of the mean electromotive force, including derivatives of the mean magnetic field up to the first order, are crucial for analyzing and simulating dynamo action. Two methods are developed to extract mean-field coefficients from direct numerical simulations of the mentioned processes. While the first method does not use intrinsic approximations, the second one is based on the second-order correlation approximation. There is satisfying agreement of the results of both methods for sufficiently slow fluid motions. Both methods are applied to simulations of rotating magnetoconvection and a quasi-stationary geodynamo. The mean-field induction effects described by these coefficients, e.g., the α-effect, are highly anisotropic in both examples. An α2-mechanism is suggested along with a strong γ-effect operating outside the inner core tangent cylinder. The turbulent diffusivity exceeds the molecular one by at least one order of magnitude in the geodynamo example. With the aim to compare mean-field simulations with corresponding direct numerical simulations, a two-dimensional mean-field model involving all previously determined mean-field coefficients was constructed. Various tests with different sets of mean-field coefficients reveal their action and significance. In the magnetoconvection and geodynamo examples considered here, the match between direct numerical simulations and mean-field simulations is only satisfying if a large number of mean-field coefficients are involved. In the magnetoconvection example, the azimuthally averaged magnetic field resulting from the numerical simulation is in good agreement with its counterpart in the mean-field model. However, this match is not completely satisfactory in the geodynamo case anymore. Here the traditional representation of the mean electromotive force ignoring higher than first-order spatial derivatives of the mean magnetic field is no longer a good approximation.

MAGNETIC DIFFUSIVITY TENSOR AND DYNAMO EFFECTS IN ROTATING AND SHEARING TURBULENCE

The turbulent magnetic diffusivity tensor is determined in the presence of rotation or shear. The question is addressed whether dynamo action from the shear-current effect can explain large-scale magnetic field generation found in simulations with shear. For this purpose a set of evolution equations for the response to imposed test fields is solved with turbulent and mean motions calculated from the momentum and continuity equations. The corresponding results for the electromotive force are used to calculate turbulent transport coefficients. The diagonal components of the turbulent magnetic diffusivity tensor are found to be very close together, but their values increase slightly with increasing shear and decrease with increasing rotation rate. In the presence of shear, the sign of the two off-diagonal components of the turbulent magnetic diffusion tensor is the same and opposite to the sign of the shear. This implies that dynamo action from the shear-current effect is impossible, except perhaps for high magnetic Reynolds numbers. However, even though there is no alpha effect on the average, the components of the α tensor display Gaussian fluctuations around zero. These fluctuations are strong enough to drive an incoherent alpha-shear dynamo. The incoherent shear-current effect, on the other hand, is found to be subdominant.

Magnetic Quenching of α and Diffusivity Tensors in Helical Turbulence

The effect of a dynamo-generated mean magnetic field of Beltrami type on the mean electromotive force is studied. In the absence of the mean magnetic field the turbulence is assumed to be homogeneous and isotropic, but it becomes inhomogeneous and anisotropic with this field. Using the testfield method the dependence of the alpha and turbulent diffusivity tensors on the magnetic Reynolds number Rm is determined for magnetic fields that have reached approximate equipartition with the velocity field. The tensor components are characterized by a pseudoscalar alpha and a scalar turbulent magnetic diffusivity etat. Increasing Rm from 2 to 600 reduces etat by a factor ~5, suggesting that the quenching of etat is, in contrast to the 2-dimensional case, only weakly dependent on Rm. Over the same range of Rm, however, alpha is reduced by a factor ~14, which can qualitatively be explained by a corresponding increase of a magnetic contribution to the alpha effect with opposite sign. The level of fluctuations of alpha and etat is only 10% and 20% of the respective kinematic reference values.The effect of a dynamo-generated mean magnetic field of Beltrami type on the mean electromotive force is studied. In the absence of the mean magnetic field the turbulence is assumed to be homogeneous and isotropic, but it becomes inhomogeneous and anisotropic with this field. Using the test-field method the dependence of the α and turbulent diffusivity tensors on the magnetic Reynolds number ReM is determined for magnetic fields that have reached approximate equipartition with the velocity field. The tensor components are characterized by a pseudoscalar α and a scalar turbulent magnetic diffusivity ηt. Increasing ReM from 2 to 600 reduces ηt by a factor ≈5, suggesting that the quenching of ηt is, in contrast to the two-dimensional case, only weakly dependent on ReM. Over the same range of ReM, however, α is reduced by a factor ≈14, which can be explained by a corresponding increase of a magnetic contribution to the α-effect with opposite sign. Within this framework, the corresponding kinetic contribution to the α-effect turns out to be independent of ReM for 2 ≤ ReM ≤ 600. The level of fluctuations of α and ηt is only 10% and 20% of the respective kinematic reference values.

Mean-field electrodynamics: critical analysis of various analytical approaches to the mean electromotive force

There are various analytical approaches to the mean electromotive force crucial in mean-field electrodynamics, with u and b being velocity and magnetic field fluctuations. In most cases the traditional approach, restricted to the second-order correlation approximation, has been used. Its validity is only guaranteed for a range of conditions, which is narrow in view of many applications, e.g., in astrophysics. With the intention to have a wider range of applicability, other approaches have been proposed which make use of the so-called τ-approximation, reducing correlations of third order in u and b to such of second order. After explaining some basic features of the traditional approach a critical analysis of the approaches of that kind is given. It is shown that they lead in some cases to results which are in clear conflict with those of the traditional approach. It is argued that this indicates shortcomings of the τ-approaches and poses serious restrictions to their applicability. These shortcomings do not result from the basic assumption of the τ-approximation. Instead, they seem to originate in some simplifications made in order to derive without really solving the equations governing u and b. A starting point for a new approach is described which avoids the conflict.

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

Aims. The test-field method for computing turbulent transport coefficients from simulations of hydromagnetic flows is extended to the regime with a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) background. Methods. A generalized set of test equations is derived using both the induction equation and a modified momentum equation. By employing an additional set of auxiliary equations, we derive linear equations describing the response of the system to a set of prescribed test fields. Purely magnetic and MHD backgrounds are emulated by applying an electromotive force in the induction equation analogously to the ponderomotive force in the momentum equation. Both forces are chosen to have Roberts flow-like geometry. Results. Examples with an MHD background are studied where the previously used quasi-kinematic test-field method breaks down. In cases with homogeneous mean fields it is shown that the generalized test-field method produces the same results as the imposed-field method, where the field-aligned component of the actual electromotive force from the simulation is used. Furthermore, results for the turbulent diffusivity tensor are given, which are inaccessible to the imposed-field method. For MHD backgrounds, new mean-field effects are found that depend on the occurrence of cross-correlations between magnetic and velocity fluctuations. For strong imposed fields, � is found to be quenched proportional to the fourth power of the field strength, regardless of the type of background studied.

Modeling spatio-temporal nonlocality in mean-field dynamos

When scale separation in space or time is poor, the mean-field α effect and turbulent diffusivity have to be replaced by integral kernels by which the dependence of the mean electromotive force on the mean magnetic field becomes nonlocal. Earlier work in computing these kernels using the test-field method is now generalized to the case in which both spatial and temporal scale separations are poor. The approximate form of the kernel for isotropic stationary turbulence is such that it can be treated in a straightforward manner by solving a partial differential equation for the mean electromotive force. The resulting mean-field equations are solved for oscillatory α –shear dynamos as well as α2 dynamos with α linearly depending on position, which makes this dynamo oscillatory, too. In both cases, the critical values of the dynamo number is lowered due to spatio-temporal nonlocality.When scale separation in space or time is poor, the mean-field α effect and turbulent diffusivity have to be replaced by integral kernels by which the dependence of the mean electromotive force on the mean magnetic field becomes nonlocal. Earlier work in computing these kernels using the test-field method is now generalized to the case in which both spatial and temporal scale separations are poor. The approximate form of the kernel for isotropic stationary turbulence is such that it can be treated in a straightforward manner by solving a partial differential equation for the mean electromotive force. The resulting mean-field equations are solved for oscillatory α –shear dynamos as well as α2 dynamos

QUENCHING AND ANISOTROPY OF HYDROMAGNETIC TURBULENT TRANSPORT

Hydromagnetic turbulence affects the evolution of large-scale magnetic fields through mean-field effects like turbulent diffusion and the

Alpha effect due to buoyancy instability of a magnetic layer

\alpha

Turbulent transport coefficients in spherical wedge dynamo simulations of solar-like stars

effect. For stronger fields, these effects are usually suppressed or quenched, and additional anisotropies are introduced. Using different variants of the test-field method, we determine the quenching of the turbulent transport coefficients for the forced Roberts flow, isotropically forced non-helical turbulence, and rotating thermal convection. We see significant quenching only when the mean magnetic field is larger than the equipartition value of the turbulence. Expressing the magnetic field in terms of the equipartition value of the {\it quenched} flows, we obtain for the quenching exponents of the turbulent magnetic diffusivity about 1.3, 1.1, and 1.3 for Roberts flow, forced turbulence, and convection, respectively. However, when the magnetic field is expressed in terms of the equipartition value of the unquenched flows these quenching exponents become about 4, 1.5, and 2.3, respectively. For the

Mean-field dynamo action from delayed transport

\alpha