38 research outputs found
Oscillatory disintegration of a trans-Alfvenic shock: A magnetohydrodynamic simulation
Nonlinear evolution of a trans-Alfvenic shock wave (TASW), at which the flow
velocity passes over the Alfven velocity, is computed in a magnetohydrodynamic
approximation. The analytical theory suggests that an infinitesimal
perturbation of a TASW results in its disintegration, i.e., finite variation of
the flow, or transformation into some other unsteady configuration. In the
present paper, this result is confirmed by numerical simulations. It is shown
that the disintegration time is close to its minimum value equal to the shock
thickness divided by a relative velocity of the emerging secondary structures.
The secondary TASW that appears after the disintegration is again unstable with
respect to disintegration. When the perturbation has a cyclic nature, the TASW
undergoes oscillatory disintegration, during which it repeatedly transforms
into another TASW. This process manifests itself as a train of shock and
rarefaction waves, which consecutively emerge at one edge of the train and
merge at the other edge.Comment: REVTEX, 8 pages, 13 PostScript figures, uses epsfig.st
The Linear Instability of Astrophysical Flames in Magnetic Fields
Supernovae of Type Ia are used as standard candles for cosmological
observations despite the as yet incomplete understanding of their explosion
mechanism. In one model, these events are thought to result from subsonic
burning in the core of an accreting Carbon/Oxygen white dwarf that is
accelerated through flame wrinkling and flame instabilities. Many such white
dwarfs have significant magnetic fields. Here we derive the linear effects of
such magnetic fields on one flame instability, the well-known Landau-Darrieus
instability. When the magnetic field is strong enough that the flame is
everywhere sub-Alfvenic, the instability can be greatly suppressed.
Super-Alfvenic flames are much less affected by the field, with flames
propagating parallel to the field somewh at destabilized, and flames
propagating perpendicular to the field somewhat stabili zed. Trans-Alfvenic
parallel flames, however, like trans-Alfvenic parallel shocks, are seen to be
non-evolutionary; understanding the behavior of these flames will require
careful numerical simulation.Comment: 31 pp, 11 fig, submitted to Ap