Modeling a Maunder Minimum

TL;DR

This paper models the solar Maunder Minimum by introducing stochastic fluctuations into a mean field dynamo, showing how small-scale turbulence can cause long-term magnetic activity variations similar to historical records.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach by incorporating on/off intermittency through stochastic fluctuations in a dynamo model, linking small-scale turbulence to long-term solar activity variations.

Findings

Small scale fluctuations induce long-term magnetic variations.

Global suppression of activity was not achieved.

Magnetic variation resembles 10 Be records, not sunspot numbers.

Abstract

We introduce on/off intermittency into a mean field dynamo model by imposing stochastic fluctuations in either the alpha effect or through the inclusion of a fluctuating electromotive force. Sufficiently strong small scale fluctuations with time scales of the order of 0.3-3 years can produce long term variations in the system on time scales of the order of hundreds of years. However, global suppression of magnetic activity in both hemispheres at once was not observed. The variation of the magnetic field does not resemble that of the sunspot number, but is more reminiscent of the 10 Be record. The interpretation of our results focuses attention on the connection between the level of magnetic activity and the sunspot number, an issue that must be elucidated if long term solar effects are to be well understood.