Chaotic dynamos generated by a turbulent flow of liquid sodium.
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.
Ravelet
F
F
Service de Physique de l'Etat Condensé, Direction des Sciences de la Matière, CEA-Saclay, CNRS URA 2464, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France.
Berhanu
M
M
Monchaux
R
R
Aumaître
S
S
Chiffaudel
A
A
Daviaud
F
F
Dubrulle
B
B
Bourgoin
M
M
Odier
Ph
P
Plihon
N
N
Pinton
J-F
JF
Volk
R
R
Fauve
S
S
Mordant
N
N
Pétrélis
F
F