Abstract
Magnetic fields play an important role in defining and modulating the space environment within the heliosphere. How these magnetic fields originate and evolve in stars such as the Sun or planets such as the Earth, is in itself a compelling question – the answer to which is of universal importance to astrophysics and space science. It is thought that magnetic fields are created through a dynamo process which involves complex, non-linear interactions within the magnetized plasma that is often encountered in astrophysical systems. In this chapter, after briefly discussing the importance of magnetic fields in the heliosphere, I provide a gentle introduction to concepts in magnetohydrodynamics, describe the mathematical foundation of mean-field dynamo theory, and explain the basic physical processes that constitute the dynamo mechanism. In doing this, I focus mainly on our star – the Sun – which is the primary source of heliospheric magnetic fields and their variability.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the faculty at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and at the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory for their hospitality during my visit there in the winter of 2007 to lecture at the IHY school. My research has been financially supported by the NASA Living With a Star program and the Ramanujan Fellowship of the Government of India.
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Nandy, D. (2010). Dynamo Processes. In: Gopalswamy, N., Hasan, S., Ambastha, A. (eds) Heliophysical Processes. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11341-3_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11341-3_3
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