Statistical Simulation of the Magnetorotational Dynamo
Authors: J. Squire and A. Bhattacharjee
Abstract: We analyze turbulence and dynamo induced by the magnetorotational instability (MRI) using quasi-linear statistical simulation methods. We find that homogenous turbulence is unstable to a large scale dynamo instability, which saturates to an inhomogenous equilibrium with a very strong dependence on the magnetic Prandtl number (Pm). Despite its enormously reduced nonlinearity, the quasi-linear model exhibits the same qualitative scaling of angular momentum transport with Pm as fully nonlinear turbulence. This demonstrates the relationship of recent convergence problems to the large scale dynamo and suggests possible methods for studying astrophysically relevant regimes at very low or high Pm.
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Submitted to: Physical Review Letters
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