Phase III: Development of a Core Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at UCLA

地球的磁场为地球创造了一个电磁茧;它保护地球免受宇宙射线的影响，并限制了太阳风侵蚀造成的大气损失。 现有的数值模式可以较好地模拟观测到的地磁场的总体结构。 然而，这些模型的预测能力有限，因为它们无法模拟地球核心磁场产生的湍流流体动力学。为了解决这个问题，我们将继续我们实验室对地核流体湍流的独特研究。 我们将使用两个独特的旋转对流装置对模拟地球核心的湍流对流进行新颖的测量，这两个装置都是在我们的实验室中设计和开发的，由NSF资助。 我们将在实验室新的2米高的实验装置中对极端湍流、快速旋转的对流进行详细测量。使用我们的旋转磁对流装置，我们将在一个新的，更大体积的液体镓罐充分湍流实验室测量。我们的结果将与内部和外部团队与我们合作进行的数值模拟结果进行比较。 这些数据提供了对极端湍流旋转对流和磁对流的首次测量，将使我们能够更好地了解支撑地球核心动力学过程的湍流对流物理学。 这些研究将提供描述旋转对流和磁对流的基准数据。这些结果将特别相关的地球核心和其他行星发电机的数值模拟。 他们也将有关天体物理和太阳发电机建模，大气动力学家，流体物理学家和工程师研究湍流，对流物理学和磁流体力学。这些项目将为实验室的本科生、研究生和博士后研究人员提供实验室和计算培训。此外，这笔资金将使我们的地球科学教育电影图书馆得到进一步发展，教育工作者和学生都可以在网上查阅（http：spinlab.ess.ucla.edu/和www.youtube.com/user/spinlabucla）。

The Earth's magnetic field creates an electromagnetic cocoon for the planet; it shields Earth from cosmic rays and limits atmospheric loss by solar wind erosion.  Present day numerical models can match the gross structure of the observed geomagnetic field.  However, these models have limited predictive power because they are not able to simulate the turbulent fluid dynamics that underlies magnetic field generation in Earth's core. To remedy this, we will continue our laboratory's unique investigation of fluid turbulence in Earth's core.  We will make novel measurements of turbulent convection that simulates Earth's core using the two unique rotating convection devices, both designed and developed in our laboratory via NSF EAR funding.  Detailed measurements of extremely turbulent, rapidly rotating convection will be made in our laboratory's new 2 meter high experimental device. Using our rotating magnetoconvection device, we will make laboratory measurements of fully turbulent flows in a new, larger volume tank of liquid gallium. Our results will be compared with the results of numerical simulations carried out in-house and by external teams collaborating with us.  This data, providing the first measurements of extremely turbulent rotating convection and magnetoconvection, will allow us to better understand the turbulent convection physics that underpins Earth's core dynamical processes.  These studies will provide benchmark data describing rotating convection and magnetoconvection. These results will be especially relevant to numerical modelers of the Earth's core and other planetary dynamos.  They will also be relevant to astrophysical and solar dynamo modelers, atmospheric dynamicists, and fluid physicists and engineers studying turbulence, convection physics and magnetohydrodynamics. These projects will provide laboratory and computational training for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers in the laboratory. Furthermore, this funding will allow the further development of our library of geoscience education films that are available online for educators and students alike (http://spinlab.ess.ucla.edu/ and www.youtube.com/user/spinlabucla).