We report the finding of an azimuthal dynamo wave of a low-order (m=1) mode in direct numerical simulations (DNS) of turbulent convection in spherical shells. Such waves are predicted by mean field dynamo theory and have been obtained previously in m
ean-field models. Observational results both from photometry and Doppler imaging have revealed persistent drifts of spots for several rapidly rotating stars, but, although an azimuthal dynamo wave has been proposed as a possible mechanism responsible for this behavior, it has been judged as unlikely, as practical evidence for such waves from DNS has been lacking. The large-scale magnetic field in our DNS, which is due to self-consistent dynamo action, is dominated by a retrograde m=1 mode. Its pattern speed is nearly independent of latitude and does not reflect the speed of the differential rotation at any depth. The extrema of magnetic m=1 structures coincide reasonably with the maxima of m=2 structures of the temperature. These results provide direct support for the observed drifts being due to an azimuthal dynamo wave.
Numerous studies have investigated the role of thermal instability in regulating the phase transition between the cold cloudy and warm diffuse medium of the interstellar medium. Considerable interest has also been devoted in investigating the propert
ies of turbulence in thermally unstable flows, special emphasis on molecular clouds and the possibility of star formation. In this study, we investigate another setting in which this instability may be important, namely its effect on dynamo action in interstellar flows. The setup we consider is a three dimensional periodic cube of gas with an initially weak magnetic field, subject to heating and cooling, the properties of which are such that thermal instability is provoked at certain temperature regime. Dynamo action is established through external forcing on the flow field. By comparing the results with a cooling function with exactly the same net effect but no thermally unstable regime, we find the following. The critical Reynolds number for the onset of the large-scale dynamo was observed to roughly double between the thermally stable versus unstable runs, the conclusion being that the thermal instability makes large-scale dynamo action more difficult. Whereas density and magnetic fields were observed to be almost completely uncorrelated in the thermally stable cases investigated, the action of thermal instability was observed to produce a positive correlation of the form B propto rho^0.2. This correlation is rather weak, and in addition it was observed to break down at the limit of the highest densities.
