Simple mechanism for reversals of earth's magnetic field.
We show that a model, recently used to describe all the dynamical regimes of the magnetic field generated by the dynamo effect in the von Kármán sodium experiment, also provides a simple explanation of the reversals of Earth's magnetic field, despite strong differences between both systems. The validity of the model relies on the smallness of the magnetic Prandtl number.
Pétrélis
François
F
Ecole Normale Supérieure, LPS, UMR CNRS 8550, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France.
Fauve
Stéphan
S
Dormy
Emmanuel
E
Valet
Jean-Pierre
JP