3,396 research outputs found
On the relation between viscoelastic and magnetohydrodynamic flows and their instabilities
We demonstrate a close analogy between a viscoelastic medium and an
electrically conducting fluid containing a magnetic field. Specifically, the
dynamics of the Oldroyd-B fluid in the limit of large Deborah number
corresponds to that of a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluid in the limit of large
magnetic Reynolds number. As a definite example of this analogy, we compare the
stability properties of differentially rotating viscoelastic and MHD flows. We
show that there is an instability of the Oldroyd-B fluid that is physically
distinct from both the inertial and elastic instabilities described previously
in the literature, but is directly equivalent to the magnetorotational
instability in MHD. It occurs even when the specific angular momentum increases
outwards, provided that the angular velocity decreases outwards; it derives
from the kinetic energy of the shear flow and does not depend on the curvature
of the streamlines. However, we argue that the elastic instability of
viscoelastic Couette flow has no direct equivalent in MHD.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, to be published in J. Fluid Mec
A self-sustaining nonlinear dynamo process in Keplerian shear flows
A three-dimensional nonlinear dynamo process is identified in rotating plane
Couette flow in the Keplerian regime. It is analogous to the hydrodynamic
self-sustaining process in non-rotating shear flows and relies on the
magneto-rotational instability of a toroidal magnetic field. Steady nonlinear
solutions are computed numerically for a wide range of magnetic Reynolds
numbers but are restricted to low Reynolds numbers. This process may be
important to explain the sustenance of coherent fields and turbulent motions in
Keplerian accretion disks, where all its basic ingredients are present.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letter
The evolution of a warped disc around a Kerr black hole
We consider the evolution of a warped disc around a Kerr black hole, under
conditions such that the warp propagates in a wavelike manner. This occurs when
the dimensionless effective viscosity, alpha, that damps the warp is less than
the characteristic angular semi-thickness, H/R, of the disc. We adopt
linearized equations that are valid for warps of sufficiently small amplitude
in a Newtonian disc, but also account for the apsidal and nodal precession that
occur in the Kerr metric. Through analytical and time-dependent studies, we
confirm the results of Demianski & Ivanov, and of Ivanov & Illarionov, that
such a disc takes on a characteristic warped shape. The inner part of the disc
is not necessarily aligned with the equator of the hole, even in the presence
of dissipation. We draw attention to the fact that this might have important
implications for the directionality of jets emanating from discs around
rotating black holes.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, to be published in MNRA
Development of a scanning electron mirror microscope
Scanning electron mirrors microscope design and developmen
Viscoresistive MHD Configurations of Plasma in Accretion Disks
We present a discussion of two-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD)
configurations, concerning the equilibria of accretion disks of a strongly
magnetized astrophysical object. We set up a viscoresistive scenario which
generalizes previous two-dimensional analyses by reconciling the ideal MHD
coupling of the vertical and the radial equilibria within the disk with the
standard mechanism of the angular momentum transport, relying on dissipative
properties of the plasma configuration. The linear features of the considered
model are analytically developed and the non-linear configuration problem is
addressed, by fixing the entire disk profile at the same order of
approximation. Indeed, the azimuthal and electron force balance equations are
no longer automatically satisfied when poloidal currents and matter fluxes are
included in the problem. These additional components of the equilibrium
configuration induce a different morphology of the magnetic flux surface, with
respect to the ideal and simply rotating disk.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures. To appear on the Proceedings of the Second
Italian-Pakistani Workshop on Relativistic Astrophysic
The Shape of an Accretion Disc in a Misaligned Black Hole Binary
We model the overall shape of an accretion disc in a semi-detached binary
system in which mass is transfered on to a spinning black hole the spin axis of
which is misaligned with the orbital rotation axis. We assume the disc is in a
steady state. Its outer regions are subject to differential precession caused
by tidal torques of the companion star. These tend to align the outer parts of
the disc with the orbital plane. Its inner regions are subject to differential
precession caused by the Lense-Thirring effect. These tend to align the inner
parts of the disc with the spin of the black hole. We give full numerical
solutions for the shape of the disc for some particular disc parameters. We
then show how an analytic approximation to these solutions can be obtained for
the case when the disc surface density varies as a power law with radius. These
analytic solutions for the shape of the disc are reasonably accurate even for
large misalignments and can be simply applied for general disc parameters. They
are particularly useful when the numerical solutions would be slow.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Survey of low energy plasma electrons in Saturn's magnetosphere: Voyagers 1 and 2
The low energy plasma electron environment within Saturn's magnetosphere was surveyed by the Plasma Science Experiment (PLS) during the Voyager encounters with Saturn. Over the full energy range of the PLS instrument (10 eV to 6 keV) the electron distribution functions are clearly non-Maxwellian in character; they are composed of a cold (thermal) component with Maxwellian shape and a hot (suprathermal) non-Maxwellian component. A large scale positive radial gradient in electron temperature is observed, increasing from less than 1 eV in the inner magnetosphere to as high as 800 eV in the outer magnetosphere. Three fundamentally different plasma regimes were identified from the measurements: (1) the hot outer magnetosphere, (2) the extended plasma sheet, and (3) the inner plasma torus
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