Magnetic twist: a source and property of space weather
by
Joern Warnecke(Nordita & Astronomy Department)
→
Europe/Stockholm
122:026
122:026
Description
We present evidence for finite magnetic helicity density in the heliosphere and numerical models thereof, and relate it to the magnetic field properties of the dynamo in the solar convection zone. We use simulations and solar wind data to compute magnetic helicity either directly from the simulations, or indirectly using time series of the skew-symmetric components of the magnetic correlation tensor. We find that the solar dynamo produces negative magnetic helicity at small scales and positive at large scales. However, in the heliosphere these properties are reversed and the magnetic helicity is now positive at small scales and negative at large scales. This is explained in terms of the magnetic helicity equation where magnetic helicity production is balanced against the divergence of magnetic helicity fluxes.
