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Register a new userLong-term variations of turbulent transport coefficients in a solar-like convective dynamo simulation
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Authors
Frederick A. Gent
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The Sun, aside from its eleven year sunspot cycle is additionally subject to long term variation in its activity. In this work we analyse a solar-like convective dynamo simulation, containing approximately 60 magnetic cycles, exhibiting equatorward propagation of the magnetic field, multiple frequencies, and irregular variability, including a missed cycle and complex parity transitions between dipolar and quadrupolar modes. We compute the turbulent transport coefficients, describing the effects of the turbulent velocity field on the mean magnetic field, using the test-field method. The test-field analysis provides a plausible explanation of the missing cycle in terms of the reduction of $alpha_{phiphi}$ in advance of the reduced surface activity, and enhanced downward turbulent pumping during the event to confine some of the magnetic field at the bottom of the convection zone, where local maximum of magnetic energy is observed during the event. At the same time, however, a quenching of the turbulent magnetic diffusivities is observed, albeit differently distributed in depth compared to the other transport coefficients. Therefore, dedicated mean-field modelling is required for verification.
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We investigate dynamo action in global compressible solar-like convective dynamos in the framework of mean-field theory. We simulate a solar-type star in a wedge-shaped spherical shell, where the interplay between convection and rotation self-consistently drives a large-scale dynamo. To analyze the dynamo mechanism we apply the test-field method for azimuthally ($phi$) averaged fields to determine the 27 turbulent transport coefficients of the electromotive force, of which six are related to the $alpha$ tensor. This method has previously been used either in simulations in Cartesian coordinates or in the geodynamo context and is applied here for the first time to fully compressible simulations of solar-like dynamos. We find that the $phiphi$-component of the $alpha$ tensor does not follow the profile expected from that of kinetic helicity. The turbulent pumping velocities significantly alter the effective mean flows acting on the magnetic field and therefore challenge the flux transport dynamo concept. All coefficients are significantly affected by dynamically important magnetic fields. Quenching as well as enhancement are being observed. This leads to a modulation of the coefficients with the activity cycle. The temporal variations are found to be comparable to the time-averaged values and seem to be responsible for a nonlinear feedback on the magnetic field generation. Furthermore, we quantify the validity of the Parker-Yoshimura rule for the equatorward propagation of the mean magnetic field in the present case.
Solar magnetic activity shows both smooth secular changes, such as the Grand Modern Maximum, and quite abrupt drops that are denoted as Grand Minima. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of convection driven dynamos offer one way of examining the mechanisms behind these events. In this work, we analyze a solution of a solar-like DNS that has been evolved for roughly 80 magnetic cycles of 4.9 years, during which epochs of irregular behavior are detected. The emphasis of our analysis is to find physical causes for such behavior. The DNS employed is a semi-global (wedge) magnetoconvection model. For data analysis we use Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) and phase dispersion ($D^2$) methods. A special property of the DNS is the existence of multiple dynamo modes at different depths and latitudes. The dominant mode is solar-like. This mode is accompanied by a higher frequency mode near the surface and a low-frequency mode in the bottom of the convection zone. The overall behavior of the dynamo solution is very complex exhibiting variable cycle lengths, epochs of disturbed and even ceased surface activity, and strong short-term hemispherical asymmetries. Surprisingly, the most prominent suppressed surface activity epoch is actually a global magnetic energy maximum. We interpret the overall irregular behavior to be due to the interplay of the different dynamo modes showing different equatorial symmetries, especially the smoother part of the irregular variations being related to the variations of the mode strengths, evolving with different and variable cycle lengths. The abrupt low activity epoch in the dominant dynamo mode near the surface is related to a strong maximum of the bottom toroidal field strength, which causes abrupt disturbances especially in the differential rotation profile via the suppression of the Reynolds stresses.
A turbulent transport of radiation in the solar convective zone is investigated. The mean-field equation for the irradiation intensity is derived. It is shown that due to the turbulent effects, the effective penetration length of radiation can be increased in several times in comparison with the mean penetration length of radiation (defined as an inverse mean absorption coefficient). Using the model of the solar convective zone based on the mixing length theory, where the mean penetration length of radiation is usually much smaller than the turbulent correlation length, it is demonstrated that the ratio of the effective penetration length to the mean penetration length of radiation increases in 2.5 times in the vicinity of the solar surface. The main reason are the compressibility effects that become important in the vicinity of the solar surface where temperature and density fluctuations increase towards the solar surface, enhancing fluctuations of the radiation absorption coefficient and increasing the effective penetration length of radiation.
Young solar-type stars rotate rapidly and many are magnetically active; some undergo magnetic cycles similar to the 22-year solar activity cycle. We conduct simulations of dynamo action in rapidly rotating suns with the 3D MHD anelastic spherical harmonic (ASH) code to explore dynamo action achieved in the convective envelope of a solar-type star rotating at 5 times the current solar rotation rate. Striking global-scale magnetic wreaths appear in the midst of the turbulent convection zone and show rich time-dependence. The dynamo exhibits cyclic activity and undergoes quasi-periodic polarity reversals where both the global-scale poloidal and toroidal fields change in sense on a roughly 1500 day time scale. These magnetic activity patterns emerge spontaneously from the turbulent flow and are more organized temporally and spatially than those realized in our previous simulations of the solar dynamo. We assess in detail the competing processes of magnetic field creation and destruction within our simulations that contribute to the global-scale reversals. We find that the mean toroidal fields are built primarily through an $Omega$-effect, while the mean poloidal fields are built by turbulent correlations which are not necessarily well represented by a simple $alpha$-effect. During a reversal the magnetic wreaths propagate towards the polar regions, and this appears to arise from a poleward propagating dynamo wave. The primary response in the convective flows involves the axisymmetric differential rotation which shows variations associated with the poleward propagating magnetic wreaths. In the Sun, similar patterns are observed in the poleward branch of the torsional oscillations, and these may represent poleward propagating magnetic fields deep below the solar surface. [abridged]
We present results from four convectively-driven stellar dynamo simulations in spherical wedge geometry. All of these simulations produce cyclic and migrating mean magnetic fields. Through detailed comparisons we show that the migration direction can be explained by an $alphaOmega$ dynamo wave following the Parker--Yoshimura rule. We conclude that the equatorward migration in this and previous work is due to a positive (negative) $alpha$ effect in the northern (southern) hemisphere and a negative radial gradient of $Omega$ outside the inner tangent cylinder of these models. This idea is supported by a strong correlation between negative radial shear and toroidal field strength in the region of equatorward propagation.
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