Introduction to galactic dynamos

Abstract

A review of galactic magnetic fields is given with emphasis on simple analytical solutions of relevant equations and detailed comparison with observations. It is shown that mean-field dynamo theory, in its simplest form, is in a remarkably good agreement with observations of galactic magnetic fields. It is argued that the disc-halo connection can play crucial role in the nonlinear evolution of regular magnetic fields in spiral galaxies by driving flux of magnetic helicity from the disc, thus supporting healthy dynamo action.

58 pages, 8 figures; to be published in "Mathematical Aspects of Natural Dynamos", EDP Press

References in corpus (5)

• A Unified treatment of small and large- scale dynamos in helical turbulence
• Structures in the RM sky
• Magnetic helicity in stellar dynamos: new numerical experiments
• Coronal activity as a consequence of dynamos in astrophysical rotators
• High Velocity Gas in the Halos of Spiral Galaxies

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Generation of Magnetic Field in the Pre-recombination Era
• A physical approach to modelling large-scale galactic magnetic fields
• The primordial magnetic field in our cosmic backyard
• The origin of the structure of large-scale magnetic fields in disc galaxies
• Magnetizing the universe
• On the role of magnetic fields in star formation
• Revisiting the Equipartition Assumption in Star-forming Galaxies