Anelastic dynamo models with variable electrical conductivity: An application to gas giants
Abstract
The observed surface dynamics of Jupiter and Saturn are dominated by a banded system of fierce zonal winds. The depth of these winds remains unclear but they are thought to be confined to the very outer envelopes where hydrogen remains molecular and the electrical conductivity is small. The dynamo maintaining the dipole-dominated magnetic fields of both gas giants, on the other hand, likely operates in the deeper interior where hydrogen assumes a metallic state.
- Publication:
-
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors
- Pub Date:
- September 2013
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.pepi.2013.06.010
- Bibcode:
- 2013PEPI..222...22D