Dartmouth Events

Space and Plasma Seminar - Bindesh Tripathi, Columbia University

Title: Beyond Parker: The Origin of Cosmic Magnetic Fields

4/28/2026
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Wilder 202 and Zoom
Intended Audience(s): Public
Categories: Lectures & Seminars, School of Arts and Sciences

Abstract: Magnetic fields are ubiquitous in nature, yet their origin remains a fundamental puzzle.  Eugene Parker’s 1955 paradigm—the ⍺-dynamo—attributed these fields to helical fluid motions.  However, this framework faced a significant challenge in the 1990s:  Alfvénization, the alignment of turbulent flows and magnetic fields, was found to suppress helical dynamos. 

In this talk, I demonstrate that Alfvénization actually drives large-scale magnetic field generation in the presence of a non-uniform shear flow.  This robust mechanism requires no rotation or helical driving and applies universally, from laboratory plasmas and stellar interiors to black hole accretion flows and neutron star mergers.  (Reference: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09912-0)

Hosted By Assistant Professor Muni Zhou 

Zoom Meeting Link: https://dartmouth.zoom.us/s/99960465228 

Please contact samantha.j.marcotte@dartmouth.edu for passcode and Meeting ID 

For more information, contact:
Samantha Marcotte
samantha.j.marcotte@dartmouth.edu
Permanent URL to this event: https://physics.dartmouth.edu/events/event?event=80750

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.