Toward a dynamo model for the solar tachocline

Rolando Lillo, Pablo D. Mininni and Daniel O. Gómez

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2005, vol. 349, issue 3, 667-674

Abstract: The generation of magnetic field on the Sun is caused by a dynamo mechanism, and is related with the differential rotation of the solar interior. Helioseismologic observations show that strong velocity gradients concentrate in a thin layer located at the base of the convective region, known as the tachocline. This remarkable observational finding lends support to a theoretical model for the solar dynamo, based on a magnetohydrodynamic extension of the so called shallow water approximation. We developed a numerical code to integrate the dynamic equations. Our analysis shows an initial stage during which the magnetic energy grows exponentially fast. In a subsequent stage we find that magnetic energy keeps growing until it reaches equipartition with the mechanical energy of the flow.

Keywords: Sun; Magnetic fields; Dynamo theories (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378437104013706
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only. Journal offers the option of making the article available online on Science direct for a fee of $3,000

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:349:y:2005:i:3:p:667-674

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2004.10.037

Access Statistics for this article

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications is currently edited by K. A. Dawson, J. O. Indekeu, H.E. Stanley and C. Tsallis

More articles in Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().