Related papers: Constraints on dynamo action in plasmas
The equations of motion for a fully ionized hydrogenic plasma in applied coaxial electric and magnetic fields are analyzed, where the term for the Hall effect in the generalized Ohm's law equation picks up a factor of 1/2 relative to its…
We explain the (non)helical dynamo process using a field-structure model based on magnetic induction equation in an intuitive way. We show how nonhelical kinetic energy converts into magnetic energy and cascades toward smaller eddies in a…
We develop a self-consistent analytical two-fluid framework for plasma evolution in the short-time regime, elucidating the fundamental mechanism underlying the coupled generation of flow and magnetic fields. We show that consistency between…
Classical plasmas in thermodynamic equilibrium should be neither para- nor diamagnetic due to the action of the Lorentz force. Magnetic confinement, however, is based on the observed diamagnetism of laboratory plasmas. The apparent paradox…
We show that in decaying hydromagnetic turbulence with initial kinetic helicity, a weak magnetic field eventually becomes fully helical. The sign of magnetic helicity is opposite to that of the kinetic helicity - regardless of whether or…
In magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, the large-scale magnetic field sets a preferred local direction for the small-scale dynamics, altering the statistics of turbulence from the isotropic case. This happens even in the absence of a…
Using direct numerical simulations (DNS) we verify that in the kinematic regime, a turbulent helical dynamo grows in such a way that the magnetic energy spectrum remains to high precision shape-invariant, i.e., at each wavenumber $k$ the…
Magnetic helicity effects are discussed in laboratory and astrophysical settings. First, dynamo action in Taylor-Green flows is discussed for different boundary conditions. However, because of the lack of scale separation with respect to…
Fast, counter-streaming plasma outflows drive magnetic field amplification, plasma heating, and particle acceleration in numerous astrophysical environments, from supernova remnant shocks to active galactic nuclei jets. Understanding how,…
Magnetic fields are widely recognised as critical at many scales to galactic dynamics and structure, including multiphase pressure balance, dust processing, and star formation. Using imposed magnetic fields cannot reliably model the…
The dynamics of accreting and outgoing flows around compact objects depends crucially on the strengths and configurations of the magnetic fields therein, especially of the large-scale fields that remain coherent beyond turbulence scales.…
Magnetothermodynamics (MTD) is the study of compression and expansion of magnetized plasma with an eye towards identifying equations of state for magneto-inertial fusion experiments. We present recent results from SSX experiments on the…
Steady plasma flows have been studied almost exclusively in systems with continuous symmetry or in open domains. In the absence of continuous symmetry, the lack of a conserved quantity makes the study of flows intrinsically challenging. In…
Magnetic reconnection is thought to be the driver for many explosive phenomena in the universe. The energy release and particle acceleration during reconnection have been proposed as a mechanism for producing high-energy emissions and…
For a magnetised plasma in a straight magnetic guide field, we derive a set of four-dimensional kinetic equations, which can capture electromagnetic turbulence in the drift kinetic limit. To do so, we start from the gyrokinetic equations,…
The turnover of interstellar gas on $\sim 10^9$yr timescales argues for the continuous operation of a galactic dynamo. The conductivity of interstellar gas is so high that the dynamo must be "fast" - i.e. the magnetic field must be…
We consider the free boundary problem for the plasma-vacuum interface in ideal compressible magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). In the plasma region, the flow is governed by the usual compressible MHD equations, while in the vacuum region we…
A regime where a uniformly magnetized plasma could be unstable to a spatial perturbation in the magnetic field is explored. In this regime, a uniformly magnetized state does not maximize the entropy. The physical implication is discussed in…
We argue that magnetic flux-conservation in turbulent plasmas at high magnetic Reynolds numbers neither holds in the conventional sense nor is entirely broken, but instead is valid in a novel statistical sense associated to the "spontaneous…
We consider a 1 1/2degrees of freedom Hamiltonian dynamical system, which models the chaotic dynamics of charged test-particles in a turbulent electric field, across the confining magnetic field in controlled thermonuclear fusion devices.…