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Phys. Rev. E 79, 016205 (2009) [6 pages]

Determining role of Krein signature for three-dimensional Arnold tongues of oscillatory dynamos

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Oleg N. Kirillov1,*, Uwe Günther2,†, and Frank Stefani2,‡
1Technische Universität Darmstadt, D-64289 Darmstadt, Germany
2Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, P.O. Box 510119, D-01314 Dresden, Germany

Received 6 June 2008; revised 3 September 2008; published 20 January 2009

Using a homotopic family of boundary eigenvalue problems for the mean-field α2 dynamo with helical turbulence parameter α(r)=α0+γΔα(r) and homotopy parameter β∊[0,1], we show that the underlying network of diabolical points for Dirichlet (idealized, β=0) boundary conditions substantially determines the choreography of eigenvalues and thus the character of the dynamo instability for Robin (physically realistic, β=1) boundary conditions. In the (α0,β,γ) space the Arnold tongues of oscillatory solutions at β=1 end up at the diabolical points for β=0. In the vicinity of the diabolical points the space orientation of the three-dimensional tongues, which are cones in first-order approximation, is determined by the Krein signature of the modes involved in the diabolical crossings at the apexes of the cones. The Krein space-induced geometry of the resonance zones explains the subtleties in finding α profiles leading to spectral exceptional points, which are important ingredients in recent theories of polarity reversals of the geomagnetic field.

© 2009 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevE.79.016205
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevE.79.016205
PACS:
05.45.−a, 91.25.Mf, 02.30.Tb, 02.40.Xx

*kirillov@dyn.tu-darmstadt.de

u.guenther@fzd.de

f.stefani@fzd.de