Objective vortex detection in an astrophysical dynamo

A novel technique for detecting Lagrangian vortices is applied to a helical magnetohydrodynamic dynamo simulation. The vortices are given by tubular level surfaces of the Lagrangian averaged vorticity deviation, the trajectory integral of the normed difference of the vorticity from its spatial mean. This simple method is objective, i.e. invariant under time-dependent rotations and translations of the coordinate frame. We also adapt the technique to use it on magnetic fields and propose the method of integrated averaged current deviation to determine precisely the boundary of magnetic vortices. The relevance of the results for the study of vortices in solar plasmas is discussed.