The team seeks to:

  • Characterize solar-cycle variations of the differential rotation and meridional circulation in the convection zone and explain them in terms of dynamo processes
  • Model non-axisymmetric magnetic structuring and instabilities of magnetic flux in the tachocline, and understand their role in emerging magnetic flux
  • Characterize turbulent MHD transport and its role in various dynamo regimes in the Sun and solar-type stars
  • Work with other teams to create a database of dynamo models and synoptic observations

Team members will use advanced numerical simulations, helioseismic inferences and surface synoptic data to develop an integrated model of solar dynamo processes, perform a detailed study of magnetic structuring and instabilities of the tachocline, investigate mechanisms of solar-cycle variations of the differential rotation and meridional circulation on the surface and in the deep convection zone of the Sun, characterize properties of turbulent MHD transport in the convection zone, perform 2D and 3D numerical modeling of solar and stellar dynamos, and develop a database of available dynamo models and synoptic data.

Initial activities include:

  • Characterize properties of non-axisymmeric instabilities of large-scale magnetic fields in the tachocline, leading to emerging flux.
  • Characterize turbulent properties (such as magnetic diffusion, helicity, lambda-effect) of the solar and stellar outer convection zones using 3D MHD simulations.
  • Model solar-cycle variations of torsional oscillations and meridional circulation, and relate these models to helioseismic and surface observations.
  • Initiate the development of a database of dynamo models and synoptic data as an extension of NASA Helioportal.

Team Members

The following people are currently on the Dynamo Team:

Aimee Norton Alexander Getling Alfio Maurizio Bonanno Andrés Muñoz-Jaramillo Andrey M. Stejko Andrey Tlatov Bhishek Manek Bibhuti Kumar Jha Bidya Binay Karak Bill Abbett Breno Raphaldini Chunlei Liang Daining Xiao Ed Rhodes Egor Illarionov Gustavo Guerrero - Barista Irina N. Kitiashvili Jacob Noone Wade Joern Warnecke Johann Reiter Kinfe Teweldebirhan Gebreegzabihar Krishnendu Mandal Loren Matilsky Lucia Duarte Maarit Käpylä Mark Phillips Mausumi Dikpati Neil Sheeley Nic Brummell Nick Featherstone Peter Gilman Radostin Simitev Rituparna (Ritu) Curt Roger Ulrich Rudi Komm Alexander (Sasha) Kosovichev - Barista Sylvain Korzennik Travis Metcalfe Valentin Skoutnev Valery Pipin Viacheslav (Slava) Sadykov Yi-Ming Wang