MRI: Development Of A Three-Meter Liquid Sodium Geodynamo Model

这个项目旨在更好地理解地球磁场的产生机制。这笔重大研究仪器拨款将资助一种新设备的开发，该设备设计为在接近地球的参数下自动产生磁场。这个新装置将驱动液态钠在一个三米长的球罐中流动。水箱和封闭的推进器独立旋转，以驱动钠流，以拉伸和放大磁场。其目的是更好地理解决定地球磁场强度的饱和机制，以及描述饱和的自发发电机状态的动力学特征(如反转)。计划进行新的诊断，以更好地表征磁场和流体速度的波动，包括超声波测速仪、球形磁场传感器和磁场成像阵列。旋转和洛伦兹力对速度和磁场的影响是这些诊断将探测的具体问题。这项科学探索试图揭示各种显示活跃领域的物体(地球、太阳、木星、土星、木卫一)以及那些没有自我产生的物体，如金星上的磁场自我产生的动力学。

0116129LathropThis project seeks to better understand the generation mechanism for the Earth's magnetic field. This Major Research Instrumentation grant will fund development of a new device designed to self-generate magnetic fields at parameters close to the Earth. This new device will drive liquid sodium to flow in a three-meter spherical tank. The tank and the enclosed propellors rotate independently to drive a sodium flow to stretch and amplify magnetic fields. The goal is to better understand the saturation mechanism which determines the strength of the Earth's field, as well as characterize the dynamics of a saturated self-generating dynamo state (such as reversals). New diagnostics are planned to better characterize the fluctuations in the magnetic field and the fluid velocity, including ultrasound velocimetry, spherical magnetic field sensors, and a magnetic field imaging array. The effects of rotation and Lorentz forces on the velocity and magnetic fields are specific issues these diagnostics will probe. This scientific exploration seeks to shed light on the dynamics of field self-generation on a wide variety of objects showing active fields (the Earth, the Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Io) as well as those lacking self-generation such as Venus.***