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Dynamo Action Induced by Lateral Variation of Electrical Conductivity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2010

M. R. E. Proctor
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
P. C. Matthews
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
A. M. Rucklidge
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

The recent evidence for the possibility of laterally varying electrical conductivity in the lowermost mantle of the Earth has motivated us to consider in more detail the problem of dynamo action induced by this kind of inhomogeneity. An earlier model (Busse & Wicht 1992) has been extended in that the assumption of a thin layer of sinusoidal varying conductivity is replaced by the assumption of a thick layer. In the new formulation the toroidal field as well as the poloidal field are determined explicitly in the domain of varying conductivity. The results support the conclusion based on the earlier thin layer assumption that the dynamo action is too weak to be of geophysical importance.

INTRODUCTION

The influence of varying conductivity on the dynamo process has been investigated for example for galaxies (Donner & Brandenburg 1990) and accretion disks (Stepinski & Levy 1991) and found to be negligible there. Jeanloz's (1990) interpretation of the D′′ layer as a laterally inhomogeneous distribution of conducting and insulating alloys, resulting from chemical reactions at the core-mantle boundary and the percolation of iron into the mantle, has motivated us to consider the possibility of a dynamo induced by varying conductivity on the Earth's dynamo. Two questions arise in this context. Firstly, one may ask how a lower mantle with laterally varying conductivity will affect the extrapolation of magnetic fields from the Earth surface to the core. Poirier & le Mouel (1992) have investigated this question in detail and found the effect to be negligible. Jeanloz's (1990) view of pinned fieldlines is too dramatic.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1994

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