Homework exercise: MHD dynamos

Matthias Rempel (HAO/NCAR)

July 20, 2011
1 Turbulent induction eects
The purpose of this problem set is to derive expressions for the mean eld
electromotive force E under strongly simplifying assumptions. We start with a
few problems in tensor algebra to recall a few mathematical skills useful for the
following exercises.
1.1 Tensor algebra
For the following mathematical derivations it will be useful to use a compo-
nent based notation for the manipulation of vector/tensor expressions. A term
like (A )B can be expressed as A
k
B
i
/x
k
, where we use the summation
convention, which assumes that the duplication of the index k implies sum-
mation k = 1, 2, 3. Using the total antisymmetric Levi-Civita tensor
ijk
we can
express a cross product A B = C as C
i
=
ijk
A
j
B
k
. Note that
ijk
is +1
for even perturbations of (1,2,3), -1 for odd perturbations of (1,2,3) and 0 oth-
erwise. A useful relation for expressions including products of the Levi-Civita
tensor is the identity (contracted epsilon identity)

ijk

ilm
=
jl

km

jm

kl
(1)
with the Kronecker symbol
ik
, which is 1 for i = j and 0 otherwise.
Problems:
a) Compute the double contraction
ijk

ijl
.
b) Proof the vector identity
(AB) = (A )B +A B + (B )AB A . (2)
c) Let a
ij
=
ijk

k
be an antisymmetric tensor. Derive an expression for
.
1
1.2 Second order correlation approximation
Problems:
a) Start from the induction equation for B

(Volume I, Eq. 3.44):

B

t
=

B +v B

+v

, (3)
and assume v = 0, |B

| |B| and neglect the contribution from magnetic

resistivity. Formally integrate the equation to obtain a solution for B

and
derive an expression for E = v

. Assume that v

has a nite corre-

lation time,
c
, and simplify expressions by approximating time integrals
with

t

i
(t)v

k
(s)ds =
c
v

i
(t)v

k
(t).
b) Express now all terms using the component notation summarized in Sect.
1.1 and show that the tensors a
ij
and b
ijk
in the expansion E
i
= a
ij
B
j
+
b
ijk
B
j
/x
k
are given by:
a
ij
=
c

ikl
v

k
v

l
x
j

ikj
v

k
v

m
x
m

(4)
b
ijk
=
c

ijm
v

m
v

k
. (5)
c) Decompose these tensors into the terms , and dened through:

ij
=
1
2
(a
ij
+ a
ji
)

i
=
1
2

ijk
a
jk

ij
=
1
4
(
ikl
b
jkl
+
jkl
b
ikl
) .
Compute the trace
ii
and
ii
. To which physical quantities are they
related?
d) Make now the additional assumption of isotropy, which implies that
ij
,

ij
, as well as the correlation tensor v

i
v

j
are diagonal, i.e.
ij
=
ij
.
Compute the scalar -eect and the turbulent diusivity
t
. How is
related to
t
? Discuss under which conditions these eects exist.
2 Bierman battery
The MHD induction equation is linear in B, which implies that a dynamo cannot
produce magnetic eld if the initial condition was B = 0. Start from the more
general form of Ohms law and keep the electron pressure term. Rederive the
induction equation and discuss under which conditions the additional term can
act as an inhomogeneous source term independent of B. Discuss the similarity
with the vorticity equation. Describe situations in which this term could have
produced weak magnetic seed eld in the early universe.
2
Problem set solutions: MHD dynamos
July 27, 2011
1 Tensor algebra
a) Compute the double contraction
ijk

ijl
.
Solution: Using
ijk

ilm
=
jl

km

jm

kl
leads too:

ijk

ijl
=
jj

kl

jl

kj
= 3
kl

kl
= 2
kl
.
b) Proof the vector identity
(AB) = (A )B +A B + (B )AB A
Solution: Compute i
th
component of expression:
[(AB)]
i
=
ijk

x
j
(
klm
A
l
B
m
)
=
kij

klm
_
A
l
x
j
B
m
+ A
l
B
m
x
j
_
= (
il

jm

im

jl
)
_
A
l
x
j
B
m
+ A
l
B
m
x
j
_
= B
m
A
i
x
m
+ A
i
B
m
x
m
B
i
A
l
x
l
A
l
B
i
x
l
= (B )A
i
+ A
i
B B
i
A(A )B
i
c) Let a
ij
=
ijk

k
be an antisymmetric tensor. Derive an expression for .
Solution: Contract a
ij
=
ijk

k
with
1
2

lij
:

1
2

lij
a
ij
=
1
2

lij

ijk

k
=
1
2

ijl

ijk
. .
2
lk

k
=
l
1
2 Second order correlation approximation
a) Start from the induction equation for B

(Volume I, Eq. 3.44):

B

t
=
_
v

B +v B

+v

_
, (1)
and assume v = 0, |B

| |B| and neglect the contribution from magnetic

resistivity. Formally integrate the equation to obtain a solution for B

and
derive an expression for E = v

. Assume that v

has a nite corre-

lation time,
c
, and simplify expressions by approximating time integrals
with
_
t

i
(t)v

k
(s)ds =
c
v

i
(t)v

k
(t).
Solution:
The simplied induction equation reads:
B

t
=
_
v

B
_
,
The formal solution for B

is:
B

(t) =
_
t

_
v

(s) B(s)
_
ds .
The resulting emf reads:
E =
_
t

(t)
_
v

(s) B(s)
_
ds
c
v

_
v

B
_
=
c
v

_
(B )v

B v

(v

)B

b) Express now all terms using the component notation summarized and show
that the tensors a
ij
and b
ijk
in the expansion E
i
= a
ij
B
j
+ b
ijk
B
j
/x
k
are given by:
a
ij
=
c
_

ikl
v

k
v

l
x
j

ikj
v

k
v

m
x
m
_
(2)
b
ijk
=
c

ijm
v

m
v

k
. (3)
Solution:
E
i
=
c
_

ikl
v

k
_
B
j
v

l
x
j
B
l
v

m
x
m
_

imj
v

m
v

k
B
j
x
k
_
=
c
_

ikl
v

k
v

l
x
j

ikj
v

k
v

m
x
m
_
. .
a
ij
B
j
+
c

ijm
v

m
v

k
. .
b
ijk
B
j
x
k
2
c) Decompose these tensors into the terms , and dened through:

ij
=
1
2
(a
ij
+ a
ji
)

i
=
1
2

ijk
a
jk

ij
=
1
4
(
ikl
b
jkl
+
jkl
b
ikl
) .
Compute the trace
ii
and
ii
. To which physical quantities are they re-
lated?
Solution:
a
ij
=
c
_

ikl
v

k
v

l
x
j

ikj
v

k
v

m
x
m
_
Since the second term is antisymmetric in i and j it does not contribute
to
ij
. Thus we have:

ij
=
1
2

c
_

ikl
v

k
v

l
x
j
+
jkl
v

k
v

l
x
i
_

ii
=
c

ikl
v

k
v

l
x
i
=
c
v

kil
v

l
x
i
=
c
v

n
=
1
2

nij
a
ij
=
1
2

c
_

nij

ikl
v

k
v

l
x
j

nij

ikj
v

k
v

m
x
m
_
=
1
2

c
_
_
_
ijn

ikl
. .

jk

nl

jl

nk
v

k
v

l
x
j
+
nij

kij
. .
2
kn
v

k
v

m
x
m
_
_
_
=
1
2

c
_
v

k
v

n
x
k
v

n
v

j
x
j
+ 2v

n
v

j
x
j
_
=
1
2

x
m
v

n
v

m
With b
ijk
=
c

ijm
v

m
v

k
we get:

ij
=
1
4
(
ikl
b
jkl
+
jkl
b
ikl
) =
1
4

c
(
ikl

jkm
+
jkl

ikm
) v

m
v

l
=
1
2

ikl

jkm
v

m
v

l
=
1
2

c
(
ij

lm

im

jl
) v

m
v

l
=
1
2

c
_

ij
v

2
v

i
v

j
_

ii
=
c
v

2
3

ii
is proportional to the negative kinetic helicity of the ow,
ii
is pro-
portional to the turbulent rms velocity squared. can be expressed as the
divergence of the velocity correlation tensor.
d) Make now the additional assumption of isotropy, which implies that
ij
,

ij
, as well as the correlation tensor v

i
v

j
are diagonal, i.e.
ij
=
ij
.
Compute the scalar -eect and the turbulent diusivity
t
. How is
related to
t
? Discuss under which conditions these eects exist.
Solution:
Isotropy implies:
=
1
3

ii
=
1
3

c
v

t
=
1
3

ii
=
1
3

c
v

i
=
1
2

x
m
v

i
v

m
=
1
2

x
m
_
1
3
v

im
_
=
1
6

x
i
v

2
=
1
2

x
i

t
Note that the last step is only valid if
c
does not vary spatially. Although
this eect is very often expressed as gradient of
t
, this is not the case for
highly stratied convection such as the solar convection zone. Since v

2
is
increasing monotonically from the base of the CZ toward the photosphere,
the resulting describes a downward transport throughout the entire CZ
turbulent pumping.

t
is present under minimal assumptions (e.g. isotropy, homogeniety) since
it is simply related to the turbulence intensity. requires in addition
inhomogeneity (e.g. stratication). For reectional symmetry needs to
be broken, e.g. through a combination of stratication and rotation.
4