The solar dynamo

✍ Scribed by A. A. Ruzmaikin

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1985
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 907 KB
• Volume: 100
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0038-0938
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00158425

✦ Synopsis

The basic features of the solar activity mechanism are explained in terms of the dynamo theory of mean magnetic fields. The field generation sources are the differential rotation and the mean helicity of turbulent motions in the convective zone. A nonlinear effect of the magnetic field upon the mean helicity results in stabilizing the amplitude of the 22-year oscillations and forming a basic limiting cycle. When two magnetic modes (with dipole and quadrupole symmetry) are excited nonlinear beats appear, which may be related to the secular cycle modulation.

The torsional waves observed may be explained as a result of the magnetic field effect upon rotation. The magnetic field evokes also meriodional flows.

Adctual variations of the solar activity are nonperiodic since there are recurrent random periods of low activity of the Maunder minimum type. A regime of such a magnetic hydrodynamic chaos may be revealed even in rather simple nonlinear solar dynamo models.

The solar dynamo gives rise also to three-dimensional, non-axisymmetric magnetic fields which may be related to a sector structure of the solar field.