Journal
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
Volume 845, Issue 2, Pages -Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa855d
Keywords
dynamo; early universe; magnetic fields; magnetohydrodynamics (MHD); turbulence
Categories
Funding
- NSF [1615100, 1615940]
- Research Council of Norway (FRINATEK) [231444]
- Georgian NSF [FR/264/6-350/14]
- European Research Council [694896]
- National Science Foundation [CNS-0821794]
- University of Colorado Boulder
- University of Colorado Denver
- National Center for Atmospheric Research
- Division Of Astronomical Sciences
- Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien [1615100] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Astronomical Sciences
- Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien [1615940] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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The presence of asymmetry between fermions of opposite handedness in plasmas of relativistic particles can lead to exponential growth of a helical magnetic field via a small-scale chiral dynamo instability known as the chiral magnetic effect. Here, we show, using dimensional arguments and numerical simulations, that this process produces through the Lorentz force chiral magnetically driven turbulence. A k(-2) magnetic energy spectrum emerges via inverse transfer over a certain range of wavenumbers k. The total chirality (magnetic helicity plus normalized chiral chemical potential) is conserved in this system. Therefore, as the helical magnetic field grows, most of the total chirality gets transferred into magnetic helicity until the chiral magnetic effect terminates. Quantitative results for height, slope, and extent of the spectrum are obtained. Consequences of this effect for cosmic magnetic fields are discussed.
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