Published June 20, 2003 | Version v1
Journal article

Hyperdiffusion in nonlinear large- and small-scale turbulent dynamos

  • 1. Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Post bag 4, Ganeshkhind, Pune University Campus, Pune 411 007 (India)

Description

The generation of large-scale magnetic fields is generically accompanied by the more rapid growth of small-scale fields. The growing Lorentz force due to these fields backreacts on the turbulence to saturate the mean-field and small-scale dynamos. For the mean-field dynamo, in a quasilinear treatment of this saturation, it is generally thought that, while the alpha effect gets renormalized and suppressed by nonlinear effects, the turbulent diffusion is left unchanged. We show here that this is not true and the effect of the Lorentz forces is also to generate additional nonlinear hyperdiffusion of the mean field. A combination of such nonlinear hyperdiffusion with diffusion at small scales also arises in a similar treatment of small-scale dynamos, and is crucial to understand its saturation

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Physical Review Letters
Journal Volume
90
Journal Issue
24
Journal Page Range
p. 245003-245003.4
ISSN
0031-9007
CODEN
PRLTAO

INIS

Country of Publication
United States
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
35046824
Subject category
S71: CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS;
Descriptors DEI
DIFFUSION; LORENTZ FORCE; MAGNETIC FIELDS; MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS; MEAN-FIELD THEORY; RENORMALIZATION; TURBULENT FLOW
Descriptors DEC
FLUID FLOW; FLUID MECHANICS; HYDRODYNAMICS; MECHANICS

Optional Information

Notes
(c) 2003 The American Physical Society