The DRESDYN project: Theoretical background and planned experiments

The DREsden Sodium facility for DYNamo and thermohydraulic studies (DRESDYN) is a platform for large scale experiments related to geo- and astrophysics as well as to various industrial liquid metal applications. The most ambitious parts of DRESDYN are a homogeneous hydromagnetic dynamo driven solely by precession, and a large Tayler-Couette type experiment for the combined investigation of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) and the Tayler instability (TI). We present recent numerical results on precession driven flows in cylinders and their dynamo action. We also discuss some new theoretical results on various versions of the magnetorotational instability and the Tayler instability, including magnetically triggered instabilities of rotating flows with positive shear. The progress of the construction of the DRESDYN building and of the design of the various experiments is delineated.