Babcock–Leighton models of the solar cycle: Questions and issues

This paper is a review of our current state of understanding of dynamo models of the solar cycle based on the Babcock–Leighton mechanism of poloidal field regeneration by the decay of bipolar active regions. It is organized in the form of “point and counterpoint” discussion of ten issues or topics of contention to be found in the recent literature on these dynamo models. These go from similarities and differences with dynamo models based on mean-field electrodynamics, the role of meridional circulation in setting the predicted form of the sunspot butterfly diagram, constraints brought about by light element abundances, non-linear magnetic backreaction on the driving flows, up to the use of Babcock–Leighton models for predicting solar cycle amplitudes.