Thermally Driven Rossby-Mode Dynamo for Solar Magnetic-Field Reversals

Abstract

There is increasing interest in the possible existence of large eddies or "Rossby waves" in Sun's convection zone and photosphere. It is shown that many flows of this type, driven by an equator-pole temperature diffrence, act as hydromagnetic dynamos to produce magnetic fields that periodically reverse. The periods and field amplitudes agree with solar phenomena within an order of magnitude.