Magnetic field generation by intermittent convection

Abstract

Magnetic field generation in three-dimensional Rayleigh-Benard convection of an electrically conducting fluid is studied numerically by fixing the Prandtl number at P = 0.3 and varying the Rayleigh number (Ra) as a control parameter. A recently reported route to hyperchaos involving quasiperiodic regimes, crises and chaotic intermittent attractors is followed, and the critical magnetic Prandtl number (P-m(c)) for dynamo action is determined as a function of Ra. A mechanism for the onset of intermittency in the magnetic energy is described, the most beneficial convective regimes for dynamo action in this transition to weak turbulence are identified, and the impact of intermittency on the dependence of P-m(c) on Ra is discussed.