Natural dynamos in the light of observations and dynamo experiments

D. D. Sokoloff

Department of Physics, Moscow State University, Moscow 119999, Russia

Abstract
Recent progress in laboratory dynamo experiments suggests that laboratory modelling of dynamos based on the joint action of differential rotation and alpha-effect already deserves some consideration when discussing natural dynamos. We discuss which aspects of natural dynamo studies inaccessible to observations might be clarified in such experiments. Refs 17.