A new approach to subcritical instability and turbulent transitions in a simple dynamo

The onset of turbulence in many systems appears disorganized and unpredictable. However, the present detailed study of a well-known model reveals a series of well-defined transitions from steady motion to highly non-periodic behaviour. The bifurcation structure of this simple model, which describes both a reversing disc dynamo and Benard convection in thin fluid loops, is characteristic of a class of systems with subcritical instabilities. It is found that the bifurcation curve for this instability does not have a stable branch and that non-periodic and linearly stable steady solutions coexist. The boundary between transient and non-periodic behaviour is marked by a non-uniformity in the number of oscillations between reversals. This non-uniformity, not previously observed, is a striking corroboration of the model's relationship to the geodynamo. Other features of reversal in the disc dynamo such as the presence of two time scales in the oscillations are also exhibited by geomagnetic fields. In addition to a geometric description of the transitions, a one-dimensional mapping first constructed by Lorenz for the system beyond marginal stability, is extended to the subcritical regime. This type of mapping, which can be interpreted in terms of invariant surfaces of the system, may be of value in dissecting more general systems with subcritical Hopf bifurcations.