The negative magnetic pressure effect in stratified turbulence

While the rising flux tube paradigm is an elegant theory, its basic assumptions, thin flux tubes at the bottom of the convection zone with field strengths two orders of magnitude above equipartition, remain numerically unverified at best. As such, in recent years the idea of a formation of sunspots near the top of the convection zone has generated some interest. The presence of turbulence can strongly enhance diffusive transport mechanisms, leading to an effective transport coefficient formalism in the mean-field formulation. The question is what happens to these coefficients when the turbulence becomes anisotropic due to a strong large-scale mean magnetic field. It has been noted in the past that this anisotropy can also lead to highly non-diffusive behaviour. In the present work we investigate the formation of large-scale magnetic structures as a result of a negative contribution of turbulence to the large-scale effective magnetic pressure in the presence of stratification. In direct numerical simulations of forced turbulence in a stratified box, we verify the existence of this effect. This phenomenon can cause formation of large-scale magnetic structures even from initially uniform large-scale magnetic field.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, submitted conference proceedings IAU symposium 273 "Physics of Sun and Star Spots

The dynamics of Wolf numbers based on nonlinear dynamo with magnetic helicity: comparisons with observations

We investigate the dynamics of solar activity using a nonlinear one-dimensional dynamo model and a phenomenological equation for the evolution of Wolf numbers. This system of equations is solved numerically. We take into account the algebraic and dynamic nonlinearities of the alpha effect. The dynamic nonlinearity is related to the evolution of a small-scale magnetic helicity, and it leads to a complicated behavior of solar activity. The evolution equation for the Wolf number is based on a mechanism of formation of magnetic spots as a result of the negative effective magnetic pressure instability (NEMPI). This phenomenon was predicted 25 years ago and has been investigated intensively in recent years through direct numerical simulations and mean-field simulations. The evolution equation for the Wolf number includes the production and decay of sunspots. Comparison between the results of numerical simulations and observational data of Wolf numbers shows a 70 % correlation over all intervals of observation (about 270 years). We determine the dependence of the maximum value of the Wolf number versus the period of the cycle and the asymmetry of the solar cycles versus the amplitude of the cycle. These dependencies are in good agreement with observations.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures, final revised paper for MNRA

Nonlinear Turbulent Magnetic Diffusion and Mean-Field Dynamo

The nonlinear coefficients defining the mean electromotive force (i.e., the nonlinear turbulent magnetic diffusion, the nonlinear effective velocity, the nonlinear kappa-tensor, etc.) are calculated for an anisotropic turbulence. A particular case of an anisotropic background turbulence (i.e., the turbulence with zero mean magnetic field) with one preferential direction is considered. It is shown that the toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields have different nonlinear turbulent magnetic diffusion coefficients. It is demonstrated that even for a homogeneous turbulence there is a nonlinear effective velocity which exhibits diamagnetic or paramagnetic properties depending on anisotropy of turbulence and level of magnetic fluctuations in the background turbulence. Analysis shows that an anisotropy of turbulence strongly affects the nonlinear mean electromotive force. Two types of nonlinearities (algebraic and dynamic) are also discussed. The algebraic nonlinearity implies a nonlinear dependence of the mean electromotive force on the mean magnetic field. The dynamic nonlinearity is determined by a differential equation for the magnetic part of the alpha-effect. It is shown that for the alpha-Omega axisymmetric dynamo the algebraic nonlinearity alone cannot saturate the dynamo generated mean magnetic field while the combined effect of the algebraic and dynamic nonlinearities limits the mean magnetic field growth. Astrophysical applications of the obtained results are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, REVTEX

Large-scale instability in a sheared nonhelical turbulence: formation of vortical structures

We study a large-scale instability in a sheared nonhelical turbulence that causes generation of large-scale vorticity. Three types of the background large-scale flows are considered, i.e., the Couette and Poiseuille flows in a small-scale homogeneous turbulence, and the "log-linear" velocity shear in an inhomogeneous turbulence. It is known that laminar plane Couette flow and antisymmetric mode of laminar plane Poiseuille flow are stable with respect to small perturbations for any Reynolds numbers. We demonstrate that in a small-scale turbulence under certain conditions the large-scale Couette and Poiseuille flows are unstable due to the large-scale instability. This instability causes formation of large-scale vortical structures stretched along the mean sheared velocity. The growth rate of the large-scale instability for the "log-linear" velocity shear is much larger than that for the Couette and Poiseuille background flows. We have found a turbulent analogue of the Tollmien-Schlichting waves in a small-scale sheared turbulence. A mechanism of excitation of turbulent Tollmien-Schlichting waves is associated with a combined effect of the turbulent Reynolds stress-induced generation of perturbations of the mean vorticity and the background sheared motions. These waves can be excited even in a plane Couette flow imposed on a small-scale turbulence when perturbations of mean velocity depend on three spatial coordinates. The energy of these waves is supplied by the small-scale sheared turbulence.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, Phys. Rev. E, in pres

Competition of rotation and stratification in flux concentrations

In a strongly stratified turbulent layer, a uniform horizontal magnetic field can become unstable to spontaneously form local flux concentrations due to a negative contribution of turbulence to the large-scale (mean-field) magnetic pressure. This mechanism, called the negative effective magnetic pressure instability (NEMPI), is of interest in connection with dynamo scenarios where most of the magnetic field resides in the bulk of the convection zone, and not at the bottom. Recent work using the mean-field hydromagnetic equations has shown that NEMPI becomes suppressed at rather low rotation rates with Coriolis numbers as low as 0.1.}{Here we extend these earlier investigations by studying the effects of rotation both on the development of NEMPI and on the effective magnetic pressure. We also quantify the kinetic helicity from direct numerical simulations (DNS) and compare with earlier work.}{To calculate the rotational effect on the effective magnetic pressure we consider both DNS and analytical studies using the $\tau$ approach. To study the effects of rotation on the development of NEMPI we use both DNS and mean-field calculations of the 3D hydromagnetic equations in a Cartesian domain.}{We find that the growth rates of NEMPI from earlier mean-field calculations are well reproduced with DNS, provided the Coriolis number is below about 0.06. In that case, kinetic and magnetic helicities are found to be weak. For faster rotation, dynamo action becomes possible. However, there is an intermediate range of rotation rates where dynamo action on its own is not yet possible, but the rotational suppression of NEMPI is being alleviated.}{Production of magnetic flux concentrations through the suppression of turbulent pressure appears to be possible only in the upper-most layers of the Sun, where the convective turnover time is less than 2 hours.}Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures submitted to A&