Spherical, Oscillatory $\alpha^2$-Dynamo Induced by Magnetic Coupling   Between a Fluid Shell and an Inner Electrically Conducting Core: Relevance to   the Solar Dynamo
  A two-layer spherical $\alpha^2$-dynamo model consisting of an inner electrically conducting core (magnetic diffusivity $\lambda_i$ and radius $r_i$) with $\alpha = 0$ surrounded by an electrically conducting spherical shell (magnetic diffusivity $\lambda_o$ and radius $r_o$) with a constant $\alpha$ is shown to exhibit oscillatory behavior for values of $\beta = \lambda_i/\lambda_o$ and $r_i/r_o$ relevant to the solar dynamo. Time-dependent dynamo solutions require $r_i/r_o \geq 0.55$ and $\beta \leq O(1)$. For the Sun, $r_i/r_o$ is about 0.8 and $\beta\approx 10^{-3}$. The time scale of the oscillations matches the 22 year period of the sunspot cycle for $\lambda_0 = O(10^2 km^2 s^{-1}$). It is unnecessary to hypothesize an $\alpha\omega$-dynamo to obtain oscillatory dynamo solutions; an $\alpha^2$-dynamo suffices provided the spherical shell region of dynamo action lies above a large, less magnetically diffusive core, as is the case for the solar dynamo. 
G. Schubert and K. Zhang ((1) Department of Earth and Space Sciences,   Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Unive...