Experimental Observation and Characterization of the Magnetorotational Instability
- 10 September 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 93 (11), 114502
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.93.114502
Abstract
Differential rotation occurs in conducting flows in accretion disks and planetary cores. In such systems, the magnetorotational instability can arise from coupling Lorentz and centrifugal forces to cause large radial angular momentum fluxes. We present the first experimental observation of the magnetorotational instability. Our system consists of liquid sodium between differentially rotating spheres, with an imposed coaxial magnetic field. We characterize the observed patterns, dynamics, and torque increases, and establish that this instability can occur from a hydrodynamic turbulent background.Keywords
Other Versions
This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit:
- Numerical study of the instability of the Hartmann layerJournal of Fluid Mechanics, 2004
- Experimental study of the instability of the Hartmann layerJournal of Fluid Mechanics, 2004
- Simulation of Induction at Low Magnetic Prandtl NumberPhysical Review Letters, 2004
- Enhanced Angular Momentum Transport in Accretion DisksAnnual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2003
- Instability, turbulence, and enhanced transport in accretion disksReviews of Modern Physics, 1998
- Global magnetic shear instability in spherical geometryMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1997
- The stability of differentially rotating, weakly magnetized stellar radiative zonesMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1994
- A powerful local shear instability in weakly magnetized disks. I - Linear analysis. II - Nonlinear evolutionThe Astrophysical Journal, 1991
- Accretion Discs in AstrophysicsAnnual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 1981
- THE STABILITY OF NON-DISSIPATIVE COUETTE FLOW IN HYDROMAGNETICSProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1960