Harmonic sources of the main geomagnetic field in the Earth’s core

Abstract

The large-scale harmonic magnetic-convective sources of the main geomagnetic field in the Earth’s core have been determined for the first time. The determination is based on a complete system of eigenfunctions of the magnetic diffusion equation in a homogeneously conducting sphere, which is surrounded by an insulator. The sources of the main geomagnetic field observed, which is responsible for the distribution of the electric currents generating this field in the core, are expressed in terms of large-scale eigenfunctions. In this case, the dipole sources are directly related to the observed geomagnetic dipole, whereas the quadrupole sources are related to the quadrupole, etc. The time variations in the obtained sources are responsible for individual spatiotemporal features in the generation or suppression of each Gaussian component of the observed geomagnetic field. When the commonly accepted observational international geomagnetic reference field (IGRF) models were used to partially reveal these time variations, it became possible to specify the estimate of the Earth’s core conductivity and determine the minimum period that can separate us from the commencement of further inversion or excursion.