Magnetic field rotation in the screw gallium flow

The magnetic field induced by the nonstationary screw flow of gallium in a toroidal channel has been investigated experimentally using a gallium prototype of the sodium apparatus developed in the frame of the experimental dynamo program at the Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics, Perm, Russia. The experimental set-up is a rapidly rotating toroidal channel subjected to abrupt braking. The screw flow is initiated by inertial forces pushing liquid gallium through diverters. The regular structure of the induced magnetic field is generated about 0.1 s after the stop of the channel and persists up to 1 s. The induced field is measured by sensors placed outside the channel. The inductive effects observed are attributed to the mean screw flow. The decay laws of the induced regular magnetic field and turbulent magnetic fluctuations are studied.Received: 27 August 2004, Published online: 5 November 2004PACS: 47.65. + a Magnetohydrodynamics and electrohydrodynamics - 07.55.Dd Generation of magnetic fields