Effect of a uniform magnetic field on nonlinear magnetoconvection in a rotating fluid spherical shell

• Published in: Geophysical and astrophysical fluid dynamics 2000-01, Vol.92 (3-4), p.255-287
• Main Authors: Sakuraba, Ataru, Kono, Masaru
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Magnetic field effects; Magnetic flux; Magnetohydrodynamics; Mathematical models; Reynolds number; Vortex flow
• ISSN: 0309-1929
• DOI: 10.1080/03091920008203718

Dynamic interaction between magnetic field and fluid motion is studied through a numerical experiment of nonlinear three-dimensional magnetoconvection in a rapidly rotating spherical fluid shell to which a uniform magnetic field parallel to its spin axis is applied. The fluid shell is heated by internal heat sources to maintain thermal convection. The mean value of the magnetic Reynolds number in the fluid shell is 22.4 and 10 pairs of axially aligned vortex rolls are stably developed. We found that confinement of magnetic flux into anti-cyclonic vortex rolls was crucial on an abrupt change of the mode of magnetoconvection which occurred at Lambda identical with 1 to approximately 2, where Lambda is the Elsasser number. After the mode change, the fluid shell can store a large amount of magnetic flux in itself by changing its convection style, and the magnetostrophic balance among the Coriolis, Lorentz and pressure forces is established. Furthermore, the toroidal/poloidal ratio of the induced magnetic energy becomes less than unity, and the magnetized anti-cyclones are enlarged due to the effect of the magnetic force. Using these key ideas, we investigated the causes of the mode change of magnetoconvection. Considering relatively large magnetic Reynolds number and a rapid rotation rate of this model, we believe that these basic ideas used to interpret the present numerical experiment can be applied to the dynamics in the Earth's and other planetary cores.