Hemispherical dynamos generated by convection in rotating spherical shells

Abstract

At Taylor numbers of the order 10(8) and Prandtl numbers of the order 1, dynamos generated by convection are found for which the magnetic field is essentially confined to either the northern or the southern hemisphere of a rotating spherical shell. The time dependence is typically chaotic, but latitudinal waves can be discerned that cause the magnetic field to change its polarity in a cyclical fashion. A possible relationship to a solar phenomenon is pointed out.