Persistent switching near a heteroclinic model for the geodynamo problem

Modelling chaotic and intermittent behaviour, namely the excursions and reversals of the geomagnetic field, is a big problem far from being solved. Armbruster et al. [5] considered that structurally stable heteroclinic networks associated to invariant saddles may be the mathematical object responsible for the aperiodic reversals in spherical dynamos. In this paper, invoking the notion of heteroclinic switching near a network of rotating nodes, we present analytical evidences that the mathematical model given by Melbourne et al. [19] contributes to the study of the georeversals. We also present numerical plots of solutions of the model, showing the intermittent behaviour of trajectories near the heteroclinic network under consideration.