Waves in planetary dynamos

Summary, in English

This Special Topic focuses on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) processes in the deep interiors of planets, in which their fluid dynamos are in operation. The dynamo-generated, global, magnetic fields provide a background for our solar-terrestrial environment. Probing the processes within the dynamos is a significant theoretical and computational challenge and any window into interior dynamics greatly increases our understanding. Such a window is provided by exploring rapid dynamics, particularly MHD waves about the dynamo-defined basic state. This field is the subject of current attention as geophysical observations and numerical modellings advance. We here pay particular attention to torsional Alfvén waves/oscillations and magnetic Rossby waves, which may be regarded as typical axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric modes, respectively, amongst a wide variety of wave classes of rapidly rotating MHD fluids. The excitation of those waves has been evidenced for the Earth — whilst their presence has also been suggested for Jupiter. We shall overview their dynamics, summarise our current understanding, and give open questions for future perspectives.

• Author: K. Hori; A. Nilsson; S. M. Tobias
• Department/s: Quaternary Sciences
• Publishing year: 2023-12
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Reviews of Modern Plasma Physics
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 1
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41614-022-00104-1
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Springer
• Topic: Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics
• Keywords: Dynamos; MHD; Planets; Rotating fluids; Waves
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 2367-3192