Spectral instability in the smooth Ponomarenko dynamo

Abstract: We consider the kinematic dynamo equations for a passive vector in $\mathcal{M} \times \mathbb{T} \subseteq \mathbb{R}^2 \times \mathbb{T}$ describing the evolution of a magnetic field with resistivity $\varepsilon>0$, that is transported by a given velocity field. For a broad class of $C^3$ velocity fields with helical geometry, we establish the existence of solutions that exhibit exponential growth over time. We construct an unstable eigenmode via detailed resolvent estimates of the corresponding linear operator, which we carry out by introducing suitable Green's functions that accurately approximate the local behaviour of the true system. This approach yields an explicit asymptotic expression for the growing mode, providing a sharp description of the instability mechanism. We first derive the results with $\mathcal{M}=\mathbb{R}^2$ for a large class of velocity fields that includes finite energy examples. We then consider the case of domains with boundary, where $\mathcal{M}\times\mathbb{T}$ denotes a periodic cylinder, annular cylinder, or the exterior of a cylinder, with the boundary conditions of perfectly conducting walls. Our results offer a rigorous and sharp mathematical justification for the physically conjectured process by which helical flows can sustain magnetic field generation in the Ponomarenko dynamo, with growth rate of order $\varepsilon^{1/3}$.