The Evolution of a Double Diffusive Magnetic Buoyancy Instability
Abstract
Recently, Silvers, Vasil, Brummell, & Proctor (2009), using numerical simulations, confirmed the existence of a double diffusive magnetic buoyancy instability of a layer of horizontal magnetic field produced by the interaction of a shear velocity field with a weak vertical field. Here, we demonstrate the longer term nonlinear evolution of such an instability in the simulations. We find that a quasi two-dimensional interchange instability rides (or "surfs") on the growing shear-induced background downstream field gradients. The region of activity expands since three-dimensional perturbations remain unstable in the wake of this upward-moving activity front, and so the three-dimensional nature becomes more noticeable with time.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1108.1116,
title = {The Evolution of a Double Diffusive Magnetic Buoyancy Instability},
author = {Lara J. Silvers and Geoffrey M. Vasil and Nicholas H. Brummell and Michael R. E. Proctor},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1108.1116},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
9 pages; 3 figures; accepted to appear in IAU symposium 271