Bipolar magnetic spots from dynamos in stratified spherical shell turbulence

TL;DR

This study extends dynamo models to spherical geometry, demonstrating the spontaneous formation of large bipolar magnetic spots in stratified turbulence, with implications for understanding stellar activity.

Contribution

It introduces a spherical wedge dynamo model showing large bipolar spot formation driven by stratification and scale separation, advancing previous planar models.

Findings

Bipolar spots form in spherical wedge geometry.

Spot polarity and tilt evolve over time, reflecting underlying magnetic fields.

Large spots with high filling factors resemble active stellar phenomena.

Abstract

Recent work by Mitra et al. (2014) has shown that in strongly stratified forced two-layer turbulence with helicity and corresponding large-scale dynamo action in the lower layer, a magnetic field occurs in the upper layer in the form of sharply bounded bipolar magnetic spots. Here we extend this model to spherical wedge geometry covering the northern hemisphere up to 75{\deg} latitude and an azimuthal extent of 180{\deg}. The kinetic helicity and therefore also the large-scale magnetic field are strongest at low latitudes. For moderately strong stratification, several bipolar spots form that fill eventually the full longitudinal extent. At early times, the polarity of spots reflects the orientation of the underlying azimuthal field, as expected from {\Omega}-shaped flux loops. At late times their tilt changes such that there is a radial field of opposite orientation at different latitudes separated by about 10{\deg}. Our model demonstrates the spontaneous formation of spots of sizes much larger than the pressure scale height. Their tendency to produce filling factors close to unity is argued to be reminiscent of highly active stars. We confirm that strong stratification and strong scale separation are essential ingredients behind magnetic spot formation, which appears to be associated with downflows at larger depths.