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Fluctuation dynamo amplified by intermittent shear bursts in convectively driven magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
Pratt, Jane; Busse, A.; Müller, Wolf-Christian
Intermittent large-scale high-shear flows are found to occur frequently and spontaneously in direct numerical simulations of statistically stationary turbulent Boussinesq magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) convection. The energetic steady state of the system is sustained by convective driving of the velocity field and small-scale dynamo action. The intermittent emergence of flow structures with strong velocity and magnetic shearing generates magnetic energy at an elevated rate on time scales that are longer than the characteristic time of the large-scale convective motion. The resilience of magnetic energy amplification suggests that intermittent shear bursts are a significant driver of dynamo action in turbulent magnetoconvection.
