587 research outputs found
Can Nonlinear Hydromagnetic Waves Support a Self-Gravitating Cloud?
Using self-consistent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, we explore the
hypothesis that nonlinear MHD waves dominate the internal dynamics of galactic
molecular clouds. We employ an isothermal equation of state and allow for
self-gravity. We adopt ``slab-symmetry,'' which permits motions
and fields perpendicular to the mean field, but permits gradients
only parallel to the mean field. The Alfv\'en speed exceeds the sound
speed by a factor . We simulate the free decay of a spectrum of
Alfv\'en waves, with and without self-gravity. We also perform simulations with
and without self-gravity that include small-scale stochastic forcing.
Our major results are as follows: (1) We confirm that fluctuating transverse
fields inhibit the mean-field collapse of clouds when the energy in Alfv\'en-
like disturbances remains comparable to the cloud's gravitational binding
energy. (2) We characterize the turbulent energy spectrum and density structure
in magnetically-dominated clouds. The spectra evolve to approximately
with ,
i.e. approximately consistent with a ``linewidth-size'' relation . The simulations show large density contrasts, with high
density regions confined in part by the fluctuating magnetic fields. (3) We
evaluate the input power required to offset dissipation through shocks, as a
function of , the velocity dispersion , and the scale
of the forcing. In equilibrium, the volume dissipation rate is
, for a cloud of
linear size and density . (4) Somewhat speculatively, we apply our
results to a ``typical'' molecular cloud. The mechanical power input requiredComment: Accepted for publication in Ap.J. 47 pages, 13 postscript figures.
Report also available at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~gammie/MHD.p
Linear and non-linear theory of a parametric instability of hydrodynamic warps in Keplerian discs
We consider the stability of warping modes in Keplerian discs. We find them
to be parametrically unstable using two lines of attack, one based on
three-mode couplings and the other on Floquet theory. We confirm the existence
of the instability, and investigate its nonlinear development in three
dimensions, via numerical experiment. The most rapidly growing non-axisymmetric
disturbances are the most nearly axisymmetric (low m) ones. Finally, we offer a
simple, somewhat speculative model for the interaction of the parametric
instability with the warp. We apply this model to the masing disc in NGC 4258
and show that, provided the warp is not forced too strongly, parametric
instability can fix the amplitude of the warp.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, revised version with appendix added, to be
published in MNRA
Three-Dimensional Simulations of Magnetized Thin Accretion Disks around Black Holes: Stress in the Plunging Region
We describe three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic
simulations of a geometrically thin accretion disk around a non-spinning black
hole. The disk has a thickness over the radial range
. In steady state, the specific angular momentum profile of the
inflowing magnetized gas deviates by less than 2% from that of the standard
thin disk model of
Novikov & Thorne (1973). Also, the magnetic torque at the radius of the
innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) is only of the inward flux of
angular momentum at this radius. Both results indicate that magnetic coupling
across the ISCO is relatively unimportant for geometrically thin disks.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, ApJL accepte
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