Differential rotation driven by precession (Q1890115)

The rotation of solid bodies in the solar system under the action of gravitational force of an exterior body is well understood. But theoretical questions concerning how the Earth's precession drives the flow in the Earth's molten core and how the resulting flow generates the Earth's magnetic field remain unanswered. Here the authors investigate the dynamics of incompressible viscous fluid (the Earth's liquid core) contained in a spherical cavity (the Earth's mantle) which rotates with constant angular velocity around a central axis. The paper presents an analytical nonlinear study how the precessing force (Poincaré force) drives a differential rotation -- an essential component in the construction of a strong-field geo-dynamo model. It is found that the amplitude of the precession-driven differential rotation is consistent with that estimated from the geomagnetic secular variation.