Momentum transport from current-driven reconnection in astrophysical disks
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
2015-05-30 v1 Plasma Physics
Abstract
Current-driven reconnection is investigated as a possible mechanism for angular momentum transport in astrophysical disks. A theoretical and computational study of angular momentum transport from current-driven magnetohydrodynamic instabilities is performed. It is found that both a single resistive tearing instability and an ideal instability can transport momentum in the presence of azimuthal Keplerian flow. The structure of the Maxwell stress is examined for a single mode through analytic quasilinear theory and computation. Full nonlinear multiple mode computation shows that a global Maxwell stress causes significant momentum transport.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1109.5763,
title = {Momentum transport from current-driven reconnection in astrophysical disks},
author = {F. Ebrahimi and S. C. Prager},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1109.5763},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
14 figures; Accepted for publication in ApJ