Role of magnetic pressure forces in fluctuation dynamo saturation

Abstract

Using magnetohydrodynamic simulations of fluctuation dynamos in turbulent flows with rms Mach numbers ${\mathcal{M}}_{\mathrm{rms}}=0.2,1.1$ and $3$, we show that magnetic pressure forces play a crucial role in dynamo saturation in supersonic flows. First, as expected when pressure forces oppose compression, an increase in anticorrelation between density and magnetic field strengths obtains even in subsonic flows with the anti-correlation arising from the intense but rarer magnetic structures. In supersonic flows, due to stronger compressive motions density and magnetic field strength continue to maintain a positive correlation. However, the degree of positive correlation decreases as the dynamo saturates. Secondly, we find that the unit vectors of $\nabla \rho$ and $\nabla B^2$ are preferentially antiparallel to each other in subsonic flows. This is indicative of magnetic pressure opposing compression. This antiparallel alignment persists in transonic and supersonic flows at dynamo saturation. However, compressive motions also lead to the emergence of a parallel alignment in these flows. Finally, we consider the work done against the components of the Lorentz force and the different sources of magnetic energy growth and dissipation. We show that while in subsonic flows, suppression of field line stretching is dominant in saturating the dynamo, the picture is different in supersonic flows. Both field line stretching and compression initially amplifies the field. However, growing magnetic pressure opposes further compression of magnetic flux which tends to reduce the compressive motions. Simultaneously, field line stretching also reduces. But, suppression of compressive amplification dominates the saturation of the dynamo.

arXiv commentAccepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (36)

• Astrophysical magnetic fields and nonlinear dynamo theory
• First results from the IllustrisTNG simulations: radio haloes and magnetic fields
• Simulations of small-scale turbulent dynamo
• Simulations of nonhelical hydromagnetic turbulence
• A new Jeans resolution criterion for (M)HD simulations of self-gravitating gas: Application to magnetic field amplification by gravity-driven turbulence
• Evolving turbulence and magnetic fields in galaxy clusters
• Mach Number Dependence of Turbulent Magnetic Field Amplification: Solenoidal versus Compressive Flows
• Dynamo theories
• The generation of strong magnetic fields during the formation of the first stars
• Magnetic field formation in the Milky Way-like disk galaxies of the Auriga project
• Fast Magnetic Reconnection and Spontaneous Stochasticity
• A Solution Accurate, Efficient and Stable Unsplit Staggered Mesh Scheme for Three Dimensional Magnetohydrodynamics
• Resolved magnetic dynamo action in the simulated intracluster medium
• Magnetic field amplification in turbulent astrophysical plasmas
• Magnetic Field Amplification in Galaxy Clusters and its Simulation
• The small-scale structure of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence with large magnetic Prandtl numbers
• Intermittency and Universality in Fully-Developed Inviscid and Weakly-Compressible Turbulent Flows
• Vorticity, Shocks and Magnetic Fields in Subsonic, ICM-like Turbulence
• Stochastic Flux-Freezing and Magnetic Dynamo
• The small scale dynamo and the amplification of magnetic fields in massive primordial haloes
• Fluctuation dynamos and their Faraday rotation signatures
• Characteristic Lengths of Magnetic Field in Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence
• Turbulent dynamo in a conducting fluid and partially ionized gas
• Magnetic field amplification during gravitational collapse - Influence of initial conditions on dynamo evolution and saturation
• Magnetic Field Amplification in Young Galaxies
• Magnetic fields in the Milky Way from pulsar observations: effect of the correlation between thermal electrons and magnetic fields
• Efficient highly-subsonic turbulent dynamo and growth of primordial magnetic fields
• Faraday rotation signatures of fluctuation dynamos in young galaxies
• The small-scale dynamo in a multiphase supernova-driven medium
• Nonlinear turbulent dynamo during gravitational collapse
• Mixing in Magnetized Turbulent Media
• Magnetic fields in elliptical galaxies: an observational probe of the fluctuation dynamo action
• Decaying turbulence and magnetic fields in galaxy clusters
• Alignment of the scalar gradient in evolving magnetic fields
• Properties of Polarized Synchrotron Emission from Fluctuation Dynamo Action -- II. Effects of Turbulence Driving in the ICM and Beam Smoothing
• Properties of polarized synchrotron emission from fluctuation-dynamo action -- I. Application to galaxy clusters

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Taking control of compressible modes: bulk viscosity and the turbulent dynamo
• Probing the Morphology of Polarized Emission Induced by Fluctuation Dynamo using Minkowski Functionals
• Fluctuation dynamos in supersonic turbulence at $\mathrm{Pm}\gtrsim 1$
• Non-Gaussian Magnetic Structures in the Small-Scale Turbulent Dynamo