Solar Magnetic Fields and Cycles: Understanding the Dynamo Mechanism

The number of sunspots observed on the surface of the Sun varies cyclically with a period of about 11 years. This is popularly
known as the solar cycle. Sunspots are the manifestations of strong large-scale magnetic fields of the Sun. These fields are produced
by the magnetohydrodynamics dynamo mechanisms in the convection zone. Due to highly nonlinear nature of the dynamo processes and
the extreme parameters of the solar convection zone, the origin of the solar magnetic cycle is still not completely understood. I shall first demonstrate our effort in understanding this magnetic cycle using mean-field dynamo models. Then I shall highlight a special class of dynamo models, the Babcock-Leighton dynamos, in which the poloidal field is generated from the decay and dispersal of tilted bipolar magnetic regions on the solar surface. I shall illustrate that these models are able to explain some basic features of the solar cycle.