Search

Magnetic fields of planets, stars and galaxies are generated by self-excitation in moving electrically conducting fluids. Once produced, magnetic fields can play an active role in cosmic structure formation by destabilizing rotational flows that would be otherwise hydrodynamically stable. For a long time, both hydromagnetic dynamo action as well as magnetically triggered flow instabilities had been the subject of purely theoretical research. Meanwhile, however, the dynamo effect has been observed in large-scale liquid sodium experiments in Riga, Karlsruhe and Cadarache. In this paper, we summarize the results of liquid metal experiments devoted to the dynamo effect and various magnetic instabilities such as the helical and the azimuthal magnetorotational instability and the Tayler instability. We discuss in detail our plans for a precession-driven dynamo experiment and a large-scale Tayler-Couette experiment using liquid sodium, and on the prospects to observe magnetically triggered instabilities of flows with positive shear., Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures

The homogeneous dynamo effect is at the root of magnetic field generation in cosmic bodies, including planets, stars and galaxies. While the underlying theory had increasingly flourished since the middle of the 20th century, hydromagnetic dynamos were not realized in laboratory until 1999. On 11 November 1999, this situation changed with the first observation of a kinematic dynamo in the Riga experiment. Since that time, a series of experimental campaigns has provided a wealth of data on the kinematic and the saturated regime. This paper is intended to give a comprehensive survey about these experiments, to summarize their main results and to compare them with numerical simulations., Comment: 20 pages, 16 figures

The next generation dynamo experiment currently under development at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) will consist of a precessing cylindrical container filled with liquid sodium. We perform numerical simulations of kinematic dynamo action applying a velocity field that is obtained from hydrodynamic models of a precession driven flow. So far, the resulting magnetic field growth-rates remain below the dynamo threshold for magnetic Reynolds numbers up to Rm=2000., Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for Magnetohydrodynamics (PAMIR 2014 special issue)

The most ambitious project within the DREsden Sodium facility for DYNamo and thermohydraulic studies (DRESDYN) at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) is the set-up of a precession-driven dynamo experiment. After discussing the scientific background and some results of water pre-experiments and numerical predictions, we focus on the numerous structural and design problems of the machine. We also outline the progress of the building's construction, and the status of some other experiments that are planned in the framework of DRESDYN., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Magnetohydrodynamics

We present the results of velocity measurements obtained by ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry and local potential probes in the flow of GaInSn eutectic melt driven by a two-phase inductor in a cylindrical container. This type of flow is expected in a recent modification to the floating zone technique for the growth of small-diameter single intermetallic compound crystals. We show that the flow structure can be changed from the typical two toroidal vortices to a single vortex by increasing the phase shift between the currents in the two coils from 0 to 90 degrees. The latter configuration is thought to be favourable for the growth of single crystals. The flow is also computed numerically and a reasonable agreement with the experimental results is found. The obtained results may be useful for the design of combined two-phase electromagnetic stirrers and induction heaters for metal or semiconductor melts., Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, final two-column version, to appear in Experiments in Fluids

The eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of a linear {\alpha}^{2}-dynamo have been computed for different spatial distributions of an isotropic \alpha-effect. Oscillatory solutions are obtained when \alpha exhibits a sign change in the radial direction. The time-dependent solutions arise at so called exceptional points where two stationary modes merge and continue as an oscillatory eigenfunction with conjugate complex eigenvalues. The close proximity of oscillatory and non-oscillatory solutions may serve as the basic ingredient for reversal models that describe abrupt polarity switches of a dipole induced by noise. Whereas the presence of an inner core with different magnetic diffusivity has remarkable little impact on the character of the dominating dynamo eigenmodes, the introduction of equatorial symmetry breaking considerably changes the geometric character of the solutions. Around the dynamo threshold the leading modes correspond to hemispherical dynamos even when the symmetry breaking is small. This behavior can be explained by the approximate dipole-quadrupole degeneration for the unperturbed problem. More complicated scenarios may occur in case of more realistic anisotropies of \alpha- and \beta-effect or through non-linearities caused by the back-reaction of the magnetic field (magnetic quenching)., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dyn

The DREsden Sodium facility for DYNamo and thermohydraulic studies (DRESDYN) is intended as a platform both for large scale experiments related to geo- and astrophysics as well as for experiments related to thermohydraulic and safety aspects of liquid metal batteries and liquid metal fast reactors. The most ambitious projects in the framework of DRESDYN are a homogeneous hydromagnetic dynamo driven solely by precession and a large Taylor-Couette type experiment for the combined investigation of the magnetorotational instability and the Tayler instability. In this paper we give a short summary about the ongoing preparations and delineate the next steps for the realization of DRESDYN., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Magnetohydrodynamics

Numerical simulations of the kinematic induction equation are performed on a model configuration of the Cadarache von-K\'arm\'an-Sodium dynamo experiment. The effect of a localized axisymmetric distribution of relative permeability {\mu} that represents soft iron material within the conducting fluid flow is investigated. The critical magnetic Reynolds number Rm^c for dynamo action of the first non-axisymmetric mode roughly scales like Rm^c({\mu})-Rm^c({\mu}->infinity) ~ {\mu}^(-1/2) i.e. the threshold decreases as {\mu} increases. This scaling law suggests a skin effect mechanism in the soft iron disks. More important with regard to the Cadarache dynamo experiment, we observe a purely toroidal axisymmetric mode localized in the high permeability disks which becomes dominant for large {\mu}. In this limit, the toroidal mode is close to the onset of dynamo action with a (negative) growth-rate that is rather independent of the magnetic Reynolds number. We qualitatively explain this effect by paramagnetic pumping at the fluid/disk interface and propose a simplified model that quantitatively reproduces numerical results. The crucial role of the high permeability disks for the mode selection in the Cadarache dynamo experiment cannot be inferred from computations using idealized pseudo-vacuum boundary conditions (H x n = 0)., Comment: 16 pages, 9 Figures, published in New Journal of Physics 14(2012), 053005

Kinematic simulations of the induction equation are carried out for different setups suitable for the von-K\'arm\'an-Sodium (VKS) dynamo experiment. Material properties of the flow driving impellers are considered by means of high conducting and high permeability disks that are present in a cylindrical volume filled with a conducting fluid. Two entirely different numerical codes are mutually validated by showing quantitative agreement on Ohmic decay and kinematic dynamo problems using various configurations and physical parameters. Field geometry and growth rates are strongly modified by the material properties of the disks even if the high permeability/high conductivity material is localized within a quite thin region. In contrast the influence of external boundary conditions remains small. Utilizing a VKS like mean fluid flow and high permeability disks yields a reduction of the critical magnetic Reynolds number for the onset of dynamo action of the simplest non-axisymmetric field mode. However this decrease is not sufficient to become relevant in the VKS experiment. Furthermore, the reduction of Rm_c is essentially influenced by tiny changes in the flow configuration so that the result is not very robust against small modifications of setup and properties of turbulence.

In an attempt to understand why the dominating magnetic field observed in the von-K\'arm\'an-Sodium (VKS) dynamo experiment is axisymmetric, we investigate in the present paper the ability of mean field models to generate axisymmetric eigenmodes in cylindrical geometries. An $\alpha$-effect is added to the induction equation and we identify reasonable and necessary properties of the $\alpha$ distribution so that axisymmetric eigenmodes are generated. The parametric study is done with two different simulation codes. We find that simple distributions of $\alpha$-effect, either concentrated in the disk neighbourhood or occupying the bulk of the flow, require unrealistically large values of the parameter $\alpha$ to explain the VKS observations.

We explore the influence of geometry variations on the structure and the time-dependence of the magnetic field that is induced by kinematic $\alpha^{2}$ dynamos in a finite cylinder. The dynamo action is due to an anisotropic $\alpha$ effect which can be derived from an underlying columnar flow. The investigated geometry variations concern, in particular, the aspect ratio of height to radius of the cylinder, and the thickness of the annular space to which the columnar flow is restricted. Motivated by the quest for laboratory dynamos which exhibit Earth-like features, we start with modifications of the Karlsruhe dynamo facility. Its dynamo action is reasonably described by an $\alpha^{2}$ mechanism with anisotropic $\alpha$ tensor. We find a critical aspect ratio below which the dominant magnetic field structure changes from an equatorial dipole to an axial dipole. Similar results are found for $\alpha^{2}$ dynamos working in an annular space when a radial dependence of $\alpha$ is assumed. Finally, we study the effect of varying aspect ratios of dynamos with an $\alpha$ tensor depending both on radial and axial coordinates. In this case only dominant equatorial dipoles are found and most of the solutions are oscillatory, contrary to all previous cases where the resulting fields are steady., Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures

Using a spherical symmetric mean field alpha^2-dynamo model for Earth's magnetic field reversals, we show the coexistence of the noise-induced phenomena coherence resonance and stochastic resonance. Stochastic resonance has been recently invoked to explain the 100 kyr periodicity in the distribution of the residence time between reversals. The comparison of the resulting residence time distribution with the paleomagnetic one allows for some estimate of the effective diffusion time of the Earth's core which may be 100 kyr or slightly below rather than 200 kyr as it would result from the molecular resistivity., Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures

This paper presents a boundary-integral equation (BIE) method for the calculation of poloidal axisymmetric magnetic fields applicable in a wide range of ac frequencies. The method is based on the vector potential formulation and it uses the Green's functions of Laplace and Helmholtz equations for the exterior and interior of conductors, respectively. The work is particularly focused on a calculation of axisymmetric Green's function for the Helmholtz equation which is both simpler and more accurate compared to previous approaches. Three different approaches are used for calculation of the Green's function depending on the parameter range. For low and high dimensionless ac frequencies we use a power series expansion in terms of elliptical integrals and an asymptotic series in terms of modified Bessel functions of second kind, respectively. For the intermediate frequency range, Gauss-Chebyshev-Lobatto quadratures are used. The method is verified by comparing with the analytical solution for a sphere in a uniform external ac field. The application of the method is demonstrated for a composite model inductor containing an external secondary circuit., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures

This paper presents a theoretical study of oscillatory and rotational instabilities of a solid spherical body, levitated electromagnetically in axisymmetric coils made of coaxial circular loops. We apply our previous theory to analyze the static and dynamic stability of the sample depending on the ac frequency and the position of the sample in the coils for several simple configurations. We introduce an original analytical approach employing a gauge transformation for the vector potential. First, we calculate the spring constants that define the frequency of small-amplitude oscillations. For static stability, the spring constants must be positive. Dynamic instabilities are characterized by critical ac frequencies that, when exceeded, may result either in a spin-up or oscillations with increasing amplitude. We found that the critical frequencies increase with the nonuniformity of the field. We show that for a spherically harmonic field, the critical frequency for the spin-up instability in a field of degree $l$ coincides with the critical frequency for the oscillatory instability in a field of degree $l+1$., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures

We consider the magnetorotational instability (MRI) of a hydrodynamically stable Taylor-Couette flow with a helical external magnetic field in the inductionless approximation defined by a zero magnetic Prandtl number ($\Pm=0)$. This leads to a considerable simplification of the problem eventually containing only hydrodynamic variables. First, we point out that the energy of any perturbation growing in the presence of magnetic field has to grow faster without the field. This is a paradox because the base flow is stable without the magnetic while it is unstable in the presence of a helical magnetic field without being modified by the latter as it has been found recently by Hollerbach and Rudiger [Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 124501 (2005)]. We revisit this problem by using a Chebyshev collocation method to calculate the eigenvalue spectrum of the linearized problem. In this way, we confirm that MRI with helical magnetic field indeed works in the inductionless limit where the destabilization effect appears as an effective shift of the Rayleigh line. Second, we integrate the linearized equations in time to study the transient behavior of small amplitude perturbations, thus showing that the energy arguments are correct as well. However, there is no real contradiction between both facts. The linear stability theory predicts the asymptotic development of an arbitrary small-amplitude perturbation, while the energy stability theory yields the instant growth rate of any particular perturbation, but it does not account for the evolution of this perturbation., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. E

A theoretical study is presented of the effect of a radially converging melt flow, which is directed away from the solidification front, on the radial solute segregation in simple solidification models. We show that the classical Burton-Prim-Slichter (BPS) solution describing the effect of a diverging flow on the solute incorporation into the solidifying material breaks down for the flows converging along the solidification front. The breakdown is caused by a divergence of the integral defining the effective boundary layer thickness which is the basic concept of the BPS theory. Although such a divergence can formally be avoided by restricting the axial extension of the melt to a layer of finite height, radially uniform solute distributions are possible only for weak melt flows with an axial velocity away from the solidification front comparable to the growth rate. There is a critical melt velocity for each growth rate at which the solution passes through a singularity and becomes physically inconsistent for stronger melt flows. To resolve these inconsistencies we consider a solidification front presented by a disk of finite radius $R_0$ subject to a strong converging melt flow and obtain an analytic solution showing that the radial solute concentration depends on the radius $r$ as $\sim\ln^{1/3}(R_0/r)$ and $\sim\ln(R_0/r)$ close to the rim and at large distances from it. The logarithmic increase of concentration is limited in the vicinity of the symmetry axis by the diffusion becoming effective at a distance comparable to the characteristic thickness of the solute boundary layer. The converging flow causes a solute pile-up forming a logarithmic concentration peak at the symmetry axis which might be an undesirable feature for crystal growth processes., Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures

The irregular polarity reversals of the Earth's magnetic field have attracted much interest during the last decades. Despite the fact that recent numerical simulations of the geodynamo have shown nice polarity transitions, the very reason and the basic mechanism of reversals are far from being understood. Using a paradigmatic mean-field dynamo model with a spherically symmetric helical turbulence parameter alpha we attribute the essential features of reversals to the magnetic field dynamics in the vicinity of an exceptional point of the spectrum of the non-selfadjoint dynamo operator. At such exceptional (branch) points of square root type two real eigenvalues coalesce and continue as a complex conjugated pair of eigenvalues. Special focus is laid on the comparison of numerically computed time series with paleomagnetic observations. It is shown that the considered dynamo model with high supercriticality can explain the observed time scale and the asymmetric shape of reversals with a slow decay and a fast field recovery., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Magnetohydrodynamics

The intention of the ''von Karman sodium'' (VKS) experiment is to study the hydromagnetic dynamo effect in a highly turbulent and unconstrained flow. Much effort has been devoted to the optimization of the mean flow and the lateral boundary conditions in order to minimize the critical magnetic Reynolds number and hence the necessary motor power. The main focus of this paper lies on the role of ''lid layers'', i.e. layers of liquid sodium between the impellers and the end walls of the cylinder. First, we study an analytical test flow to show that lid layers can have an ambivalent effect on the efficiency of the dynamo. The critical magnetic Reynolds number shows a flat minimum for a small lid layer thickness, but increases for thicker layers. For the actual VKS geometry it is shown that static lid layers yield a moderate increase of the critical magnetic Reynolds number by approximately 12 per cent. A more dramatic increase by 100 until 150 per cent can occur when some rotational flow is taken into account in those layers. Possible solutions of this problem are discussed for the real dynamo facility., Comment: 24 pages, 11 figures, minor changes, to appear in European Journal of Mechanics B/Fluids

The spectral branching behavior of the 2x2 operator matrix of the magneto-hydrodynamic alpha^2-dynamo is analyzed numerically. Some qualitative aspects of level crossings are briefly discussed with the help of a simple toy model which is based on a Z_2-graded-pseudo-Hermitian 2x2 matrix. The considered issues comprise: the underlying SU(1,1) symmetry and the Krein space structure of the system, exceptional points of branching type and diabolic points, as well as the algebraic and geometric multiplicity of corresponding degenerate eigenvalues., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, Conf. Proc., 2nd International Workshop "Pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians in Quantum Physics", Prague, Czech Republic, June 14-16 2004; minor cosmetic improvements, Ref. added

With only a few exceptions, the numerical simulation of cosmic and laboratory hydromagnetic dynamos has been carried out in the framework of the differential equation method. However, the integral equation method is known to provide robust and accurate tools for the numerical solution of many problems in other fields of physics. The paper is intended to facilitate the use of integral equation solvers in dynamo theory. In concrete, the integral equation method is employed to solve the eigenvalue problem for a hydromagnetic dynamo model with a spherically symmetric, isotropic helical turbulence parameter alpha. Three examples of the function alpha(r) with steady and oscillatory solutions are considered. A convergence rate proportional to the inverse squared of the number of grid points is achieved. Based on this method, a convergence accelerating strategy is developed and the convergence rate is improved remarkably. Typically, quite accurate results can be obtained with a few tens of grid points. In order to demonstrate its suitability for the treatment of dynamos in other than spherical domains, the method is also applied to alpha^2 dynamos in rectangular boxes. The magnetic fields and the electric potentials for the first eigenvalues are visualized., Comment: 22 pages, 18 figures, to appear in J. Comp. Phys