Related papers: Topological constraints in magnetic field relaxati…
Magnetic field relaxation is determined by both the field's geometry and its topology. For relaxation processes, however, it turns out that its topology is a much more stringent constraint. As quantifier for the topology we use magnetic…
Magnetic helicity, and more broadly magnetic field line topology, impose constraints on the plasma dynamics. Helically interlocked magnetic rings are in a non-trivial topological state. It is harder to bring them into a topologically…
Newly emerging magnetic flux can show a complicated linked or interwoven topology of the magnetic field. The complexity of this linkage or knottedness of magnetic flux is related to the free energy stored in the magnetic field. Magnetic…
Predicting the final state of turbulent plasma relaxation is an important challenge, both in astrophysical plasmas such as the Sun's corona and in controlled thermonuclear fusion. Recent numerical simulations of plasma relaxation with…
For magnetic knots and links in plasmas we introduce an internal twist and study their dynamical behavior in numerical simulations. We use a set of helical and non-helical configurations and add an internal twist that cancels the helicity…
Ideal MHD relaxation is the topology-conserving reconfiguration of a magnetic field into a lower energy state where the net force is zero. This is achieved by modeling the plasma as perfectly conducting viscous fluid. It is an important…
The final state of turbulent magnetic relaxation in a reversed field pinch is well explained by Taylor's hypothesis. However, recent resistive-magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the relaxation of braided solar coronal loops have led to…
The energy of the stochastic magnetic field is bounded from below by a topological quantity expressing the degree of linkage of the field lines. When the bound is saturated one can assume that the storage of a certain magnetic energy…
Equations describing plasma equilibria are derived from the total energy of the system. The MHD equilibrium is shown to hold even for systems where the magnetic field may locally vanish. Through conservation of helicity, confinement is…
Two setups with interlocked magnetic flux tubes are used to study the evolution of magnetic energy and helicity on magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) systems like plasmas. In one setup the initial helicity is zero while in the other it is finite.…
Observations have shown that the Sun's magnetic field has helical structures. The helicity content in magnetic field configurations is a crucial constraint on the dynamical evolution of the system. Since helicity is connected with the…
A solution of magnetic Hall equations for plasma filaments in the Coulomb gauge is obtained in the non-holonomic frame. Some physical features of the solution include, the non-conservation of the magnetic helicity and the decay of the…
The mathematics and physics of each of the three aspects of magnetic field evolution -- topology, energy, and helicity -- is remarkably simple and clear. When the resistivity $\eta$ is small compared to an imposed evolution, $a/v$,…
Magnetic relaxation drives plasma toward lower-energy equilibria under helicity constraints. In ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), helicity is locally conserved, while resistive theories such as Taylor relaxation preserve only global…
Topological characteristics reveal important physical properties of plasma structures and astrophysical processes. Physical parameters and constraints are linked with topological invariants, which are important for describing magnetic…
Magnetic helicity is an invariant of ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) that encodes information on the topology of magnetic field lines. It has long been appreciated that magnetic topology is an important constraint for the evolution of…
We study the evolution of turbulent magnetic fields from a topological point of view, invoking commonplace mathematical tools from general topology and dynamical systems theory which connect magnetic field evolution to time reversal…
Magnetic fields of laboratory, planetary, stellar, and galactic plasmas commonly exhibit significant order on large temporal or spatial scales compared to the otherwise random motions within the hosting system. Such ordered fields can be…
The dynamics of the oscillator system is investigated. The conditions under which this dynamics becomes unstable are determined. In particular, it is shown that plasma in constant magnetic field becomes unstable if its density exceeds a…
Magnetic helicity is a quantity that underpins many theories of magnetic relaxation in electrically conducting fluids, both laminar and turbulent. Although much theoretical effort has been expended on magnetic fields that are everywhere…