Swinburne March 12 2007 1

Magnetohydrodynamics Basics
or MHD in one lecture?! You've gotta be kidding!
Paul ally! entre "or #tellar $ Planetary
%stro&hysics! Monash 'niversity

MHD ()uations

Physical *nter&retation

MHD +aves
Swinburne March 12 2007 2
#olar
atmos&here
dominated
by
magnetic
"ields
Swinburne March 12 2007 3
MHD

MHD , "luid dynamics - Ma./ell's e)ns 0

dis&lacement current - 1hm's 2a/
34,5(-v6B7 or generali8ation9

%&&lies to 5at least &artially7 ioni8ed gases

5&lasmas7

:onrelativistic

%ssumes highly collisional! lo/ "re)uency

5c;"; cyclotron "re)uency7
Swinburne March 12 2007 4
MHD %&&ro.imation

v
<
== c
<

>hen %m&?re's 2a/ sim&li"ies@

>he electric "ield ( &lays no inde&endent
role in MHD@ it is entirely derivable "rom
v and B@
B=j j +
1
c
2
E
t
E=vB+
j
c
=vB+
B
jc
Swinburne March 12 2007 5
MHD ()uations
j
t
+(jv)=0
j
Dv
Dt
= p+j g+j B+viscous terms
B
t
=(vB)+j
2
B with B=0 and j=1/jc
jT
Ds
Dt
=viscous heating + Joule heating - radiative losses - conductive losses+.
2orent8 "orce

ontinuity

Momentum
/here 4 ,
1 -
6B , current densityA ,B6CD
0E
5#* units7

(nergy 5many di""erent "orms7

*nduction 5,electrical conductivityA ,magnetic di""usivity7

Swinburne March 12 2007
Magnetic Feynolds :umber

*nduction e)n@

Fatio o" advective to di""usive terms@

the Magnetic Feynolds :umber

G,ty&ical velocity! 2,ty&ical lengthscale

F
m
HH C dominated by advection
F
m
== C dominated by di""usion
B
t
=(vB)
_
advective
+j
2
B
_
diffusive
R
m
=
V L
j
Swinburne March 12 2007 7
*deal MHD ()uations

ontinuity

Momentum

(nergy 5many di""erent "orms7

*nduction
j
t
+(jv)=0
j
Dv
Dt
= p+j g+ j B+viscous terms
B
t
=(vB)+j
2
B with B=0
jT
D s
Dt
=viscous heating + Joule heating - radiative losses - conductive losses+.
i.e. ,
D p
Dt
=c
2
Dj
Dt
( adiabatic; c=
.
p/ j=sound s!eed)
Swinburne March 12 2007 "
%l"vIn's >heorem@ "lu. "ree8ing
*n *deal MHD! the magnetic "ield and the
"luid are "ro8en together;
>hat is@ t/o "luid elements originally connected by a "ield
line are al/ays so connected;
#o /hat?

*" the "ield is very strong 5==C7! &lasma is

constrained to "lo/ along itA

*" the "ield is /eak 5>>C7! it is advected

/ith the &lasma;
Swinburne March 12 2007 #
Swinburne March 12 2007 10
2orent8 Jorce
jB $
1
j
(B) B
$
1
j
B B
B
2
2j
$
(
BB
j

B
2
2j
I
)
_
magnetic stress tensor

#tress@

tension along "ield lines B

<
K
isotro&ic &ressure &
mag
, B
<
K<

j
Dv
Dt
=( p+p
mag
)+j g+
1
j
B B+viscous terms
Swinburne March 12 2007 11
(.am&le C

+hat do you
e.&ect this to do?
L or

Pressure &ushing
a/ay "rom high B;
B=( 0% e
x
2
, 0)
j=(0%0%2 x e
x
2
)/ j
jB=( 2& e
2&
2
, 0%0)/ j
B B=0 and B
2
/ 2j=(2&e
2&
2
, 0%0)/ j
jB=B B/ j B
2
/ 2j=( 2&e
2&
2
, 0%0)/ j
Swinburne March 12 2007 12
(.am&le <

%nd this?

L or

#lingshot e""ect to the right! M

im&ortant in "lares and M(s
B=( 2' , 1%0)
j=(0%0%2)/ j
j B=(2%4' , 0)/ j
B B=( 2%0%0)
B
2
=(0%" y , 0)
So
1
j
BB
B
2
2j
=
(
2
j
, 0%0
)

(
0%
4'
j
, 0
)
Swinburne March 12 2007 13
Plasma beta

% sim&le measure o" the relative

im&ortance o" the gas and magnetic
"orces

*" HH C the gas dominates 5e;g; stellar

interiors7

*" == C the magnetic "ield dominates 5e;g;

stellar coronae7

*" N C then get com&licated interaction

o" "ield $ "luid 5e;g; suns&ots7
=
p
gas
p
mag
Swinburne March 12 2007 14
MHD +aves

%ll /aves result "rom a restoring "orce

#ound /aves are &roduced by com&ression

5gas &ressure is restoring "orce7

Magneto0acoustic /aves derive "rom gas

$ magnetic &ressure! and magnetic
tension

%l"vIn /aves &roduced by magnetic

tension only;
Swinburne March 12 2007 15
MHD +aves@ 2inear >heory
j
1
t
+j
0
v=0
j
0
v
t
= p
1
+
1
j
( b) B
0
p
1
t
=c
2
j
1
t
b
t
=(vB
0
)
%ssume uni"orm medium! no gravity! L
#et v,G e.&3i5kOr0t79 and similarly "or &
C

etc! so and ! to get
=i k / t =i o
o
2
V=c
2
k (kV )+
1
jj
0
( ((VB
0
)))B
0
Swinburne March 12 2007 1
Basic +aves@ Fevision

ircular Jre)uency
5radians &er second7

Jre)uency =2
measured in H8;

Period 5seconds7 ,
1=2

+ave vector k s&eci"ies

the direction to
/ave"ronts

+avelength =2PkP
k

Swinburne March 12 2007 17

are"ul L
>hree velocities! all 5generally7 di""erent@

Plasma velocity v

motion o" the &lasma itsel"

Phase velocity

velocity o" the /ave &attern

Qrou& velocity

velocity o" energy &ro&agation

v
ph
=
o
k

k
v
gr
=
o
k
Swinburne March 12 2007 1"
#ound +ave

#et B
D
, D

Dot both sides /ith k to get dis&ersion

relation

Phase s&eed 5&attern s&eed7

Qrou& velocity 5energy

&ro&agation s&eed $ direction7

:ote@ G 1 k! i;e;! /ave longitudinal

o
2
V=c
2
k ( kV )
o
2
=c
2
k
2
o
k
=!c
o
k
=c

k
Swinburne March 12 2007 1#
%l"vIn +ave

Driven &urely by magnetic tension

*ncom&ressive! i;e; Ov,D! i;e; kOv,D! i;e;

transverse 5like guitar string7

>hen
/here a
<
,B
<
K
0
de"ines the %l"vIn s&eed a

:ote@ B
D
Ov,D! i;e; v to both B
D
and k
o
2
V=c
2
k ( kV ) +
1
jj
0
( ( (VB
0
))) B
0
i(e( o
2
V
2
=
( kB
0
)
2
jj
0
V
2
i(e( o
2
=a
2
k

2
Swinburne March 12 2007 20
%l"vIn +ave

Phase s&eed /here is the

angle bet/een B and k
v
&h
,a "or &arallel &ro&agation! D "or
&er&endicular!

Qrou& velocity

i;e; energy travels directly along "ieldlines at

s&eed a

1bvious! *t's a tension driven /ave;

o
k
=!a cos0
o
k
=!a

B
0
Swinburne March 12 2007 21
Swinburne March 12 2007 22
Magnetoacoustic +aves

Both &ressures and magnetic tension

Dot /ith k and /ith B

D

(liminate kOG to get magnetoacoustic

dis&ersion relation
o
2
V $c
2
k( kV )+
1
jj
0
( ( (VB
0
))) B
0
$c
2
k( kV )+
1
jj
0
|
( kB
0
)
2
V( kB
0
)( kV) B
0
( kB
0
)(VB
0
) k+B
0
2
( kV ) k

| o
2
(a
2
+c
2
) k
2
kV+a
2
k
2
k

B
0
=0
c
2
k

kVo
2
V

B
0
=0
o
4
(a
2
+c
2
) k
2
o
2
+a
2
c
2
k
2
k

2
=0
Swinburne March 12 2007 23
Magnetoacoustic +aves

#olve bi)uadratic@

>/o ty&es o" /ave@ "ast $ slo/

:B@ they involve both a $ c

o
k
=
|
1
2
(a
2
+c
2
)!
.
(a
2
+c
2
)
2
4a
2
c
2
cos
2
0

1/ 2
"ast
slo/
Swinburne March 12 2007 24
Jast $ #lo/@ Phase #&eed
Phase &olar diagrams

Phase s&eed de&ends on direction o" k

k
k
Swinburne March 12 2007 25
Jast $ #lo/@ Phase #&eed

Phase s&eed de&ends on direction o" k

Jast /ave is "astest &er&endicular to "ield

and slo/est along it 5/hy?7

in range 5a
<
-c
<
7
CK<
Kk ma.5a!c7

#lo/ /ave is "astest along "ield lines

in range min5a!c7 Kk 0

>he %l"vIn /ave is intermediate;

Swinburne March 12 2007 2
Jast $ #lo/@ Qrou& #&eed
Qrou& &olar diagrams
Swinburne March 12 2007 27
Jast $ #lo/@ Qrou& #&eed

(nergy travels "astest across "ield lines

"or "ast /ave

#lo/ /ave energy trans&ort along "ield

lines restricted to a cone about B

cone gets tighter as aKc de&arts "urther

"rom C;
Swinburne March 12 2007 2"
R@ Ho/ Many +ave >y&es?
%@ >hree M %l"vIn! "ast! $ slo/ 5S
th
order
dis&ersion relation7;

But /hat about the sound /ave?

:o! >he sound /ave is 4ust a

magnetoacoustic /ave 5"ast or slo/
de&ending i" cHa or aHc7 travelling directly
along the "ield lines; Because it is
longitudinal! it does not bend or dis&lace
them! so there is no magnetic e""ect;
Swinburne March 12 2007 2#
:on0*deal (""ects

Magnetic reconnection

#olar corona 5"lares! M(s7

massive source o" energy

(arth's magnetos&here 5interaction /ith

solar /ind7

L another day &erha&s;

Swinburne March 12 2007 30
2
u
n
c
h
t
i
m
e
!