The role of mean circulation in parity selection by planetary magnetic fields

Abstract

The kinematic dynamo problem is considered for certain steady velocity fields with symmetries that are plausible in a rapidly rotating convective system. By generalizing results proved for the mean field dynamo model by Proctor (1977a), it is shown that for a related “comparison problem” with modified boundary conditions, the eigenvalues are degenerate if there is no axisymmetric mean circulation, with modes of dipole and quadrupole parity excited with equal ease. The comparison problem can be shown to be closely similar to the dynamo problem when there is a region unfavourable to dynamo action surrounding the dynamo region. The near-symmetries found by Roberts (1972) for the mean field model are invoked to suggest that a close correspondence is likely even when this region is absent. It is therefore conjectured that such mean motions may be important in explaining the observed preference for solutions of dipole parity by planetary dynamos.