Chaotic Dynamos Generated by a Turbulent Flow of Liquid Sodium

Journal Article · Fri Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.101.074502· OSTI ID:21134137

Ravelet, F; Monchaux, R; Aumaitre, S; Chiffaudel, A; Daviaud, F; Dubrulle, B ^[1]; Berhanu, M; Fauve, S; Mordant, N; Petrelis, F ^[2]; Bourgoin, M; Odier, Ph; Plihon, N; Pinton, J -F; Volk, R ^[3]

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1. Service de Physique de lEtat Condense, Direction des Sciences de la Matiere, CEA-Saclay, CNRS URA 2464, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex (France)
2. Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de lEcole Normale Superieure, CNRS UMR 8550, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05 (France)
3. Laboratoire de Physique de lEcole Normale Superieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5672, 46 allee dItalie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07 (France)

We report the observation of several dynamical regimes of the magnetic field generated by a turbulent flow of liquid sodium (VKS experiment). Stationary dynamos, transitions to relaxation cycles or to intermittent bursts, and random field reversals occur in a fairly small range of parameters. Large scale dynamics of the magnetic field result from the interactions of a few modes. The low dimensional nature of these dynamics is not smeared out by the very strong turbulent fluctuations of the flow.

• OSTI ID: 21134137
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 101, Issue 7; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.074502; (c) 2008 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
58 GEOSCIENCES
CHAOS THEORY
FLUCTUATIONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
RANDOMNESS
SODIUM
TURBULENT FLOW