scholarly journals Galactic Dynamics and Magnetic Field Amplification

1993 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 395-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Lesch

Stimulated by recent high frequency radio polarization measurements of M83 and M51, we consider the influence of non-axisymmetric features (bars, spiral arms, etc…) on galactic magnetic fields. The time scale for the field amplification due to the non-axisymmetric velocity field is related to the time scale of angular momentum transport in the disk by the non-axisymmetric features. Due to its dissipational character (cooling and angular momentum transport) the gas plays a major role for the excitation of non-axisymmetric instabilities. Since it is the gaseous component of the interstellar gas in which magnetic field amplification takes place we consider the interplay of gasdynamical processes triggered by gravitational instabilities and magnetic fields. A comparison with the time scale for dynamo action in a disk from numerical models for disk dynamos gives the result that field amplification by non-axisymmetric features is faster in galaxies like M83 (strong bar) and M51 (compagnion and very distinct spiral structure), than amplification by an axisymmetric dynamo. Furthermore, we propose that axisymmetric gravitational instabilities may provide the turbulent magnetic diffusivity ηT. Based on standard galaxy models we obtain a radially dependent diffusivity whose numerical value rises from 1025cm2s−1 to 1027cm2s−1, declining for large radii.

2004 ◽  
Vol 215 ◽  
pp. 356-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. C. Spruit

Magnetic fields can be created in stably stratified (non-convective) layers in a differentially rotating star. A magnetic instability in the toroidal field (wound up by differential rotation) replaces the role of convection in closing the field amplification loop. A dynamo model is developed from these ingredients, and applied to the problem of angular momentum transport in stellar interiors. It produces a predominantly horizontal field. The process is found to be more effective in transporting angular momentum than the known hydrodynamic mechanisms, with the possible exception of transport by internal gravity waves.


2017 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
pp. A3 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. F. Song ◽  
G. Meynet ◽  
A. Maeder ◽  
S. Ekström ◽  
P. Eggenberger ◽  
...  

Context. Massive stars with solar metallicity lose important amounts of rotational angular momentum through their winds. When a magnetic field is present at the surface of a star, efficient angular momentum losses can still be achieved even when the mass-loss rate is very modest, at lower metallicities, or for lower-initial-mass stars. In a close binary system, the effect of wind magnetic braking also interacts with the influence of tides, resulting in a complex evolution of rotation. Aims. We study the interactions between the process of wind magnetic braking and tides in close binary systems. Methods. We discuss the evolution of a 10 M⊙ star in a close binary system with a 7 M⊙ companion using the Geneva stellar evolution code. The initial orbital period is 1.2 days. The 10 M⊙ star has a surface magnetic field of 1 kG. Various initial rotations are considered. We use two different approaches for the internal angular momentum transport. In one of them, angular momentum is transported by shear and meridional currents. In the other, a strong internal magnetic field imposes nearly perfect solid-body rotation. The evolution of the primary is computed until the first mass-transfer episode occurs. The cases of different values for the magnetic fields and for various orbital periods and mass ratios are briefly discussed. Results. We show that, independently of the initial rotation rate of the primary and the efficiency of the internal angular momentum transport, the surface rotation of the primary will converge, in a time that is short with respect to the main-sequence lifetime, towards a slowly evolving velocity that is different from the synchronization velocity. This “equilibrium angular velocity” is always inferior to the angular orbital velocity. In a given close binary system at this equilibrium stage, the difference between the spin and the orbital angular velocities becomes larger when the mass losses and/or the surface magnetic field increase. The treatment of the internal angular momentum transport has a strong impact on the evolutionary tracks in the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram as well as on the changes of the surface abundances resulting from rotational mixing. Our modelling suggests that the presence of an undetected close companion might explain rapidly rotating stars with strong surface magnetic fields, having ages well above the magnetic braking timescale. Our models predict that the rotation of most stars of this type increases as a function of time, except for a first initial phase in spin-down systems. The measure of their surface abundances, together, when possible, with their mass-luminosity ratio, provide interesting constraints on the transport efficiencies of angular momentum and chemical species. Conclusions. Close binaries, when studied at phases predating any mass transfer, are key objects to probe the physics of rotation and magnetic fields in stars.


2020 ◽  
Vol 641 ◽  
pp. A133
Author(s):  
N. Scepi ◽  
G. Lesur ◽  
G. Dubus ◽  
J. Jacquemin-Ide

Context. Dwarf novæ (DNe) and low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) show eruptions that are thought to be due to a thermal-viscous instability in their accretion disk. These eruptions provide constraints on angular momentum transport mechanisms. Aims. We explore the idea that angular momentum transport could be controlled by the dynamical evolution of the large-scale magnetic field. We study the impact of different prescriptions for the magnetic field evolution on the dynamics of the disk. This is a first step in confronting the theory of magnetic field transport with observations. Methods. We developed a version of the disk instability model that evolves the density, the temperature, and the large-scale vertical magnetic flux simultaneously. We took into account the accretion driven by turbulence or by a magnetized outflow with prescriptions taken, respectively, from shearing box simulations or self-similar solutions of magnetized outflows. To evolve the magnetic flux, we used a toy model with physically motivated prescriptions that depend mainly on the local magnetization β, where β is the ratio of thermal pressure to magnetic pressure. Results. We find that allowing magnetic flux to be advected inwards provides the best agreement with DNe light curves. This leads to a hybrid configuration with an inner magnetized disk, driven by angular momentum losses to an MHD outflow, sharply transiting to an outer weakly-magnetized turbulent disk where the eruptions are triggered. The dynamical impact is equivalent to truncating a viscous disk so that it does not extend down to the compact object, with the truncation radius dependent on the magnetic flux and evolving as Ṁ−2/3. Conclusions. Models of DNe and LMXB light curves typically require the outer, viscous disk to be truncated in order to match the observations. There is no generic explanation for this truncation. We propose that it is a natural outcome of the presence of large-scale magnetic fields in both DNe and LMXBs, with the magnetic flux accumulating towards the center to produce a magnetized disk with a fast accretion timescale.


1996 ◽  
Vol 171 ◽  
pp. 405-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. von Linden ◽  
J. Heidt ◽  
H.P. Reuter ◽  
R. Wielebinski

The large-scale dynamics and evolution of disk galaxies is controlled by the angular-momentum transport provided by non-axisymmetric perturbances through their gravity torques. To continuously maintain such gravitational instabilities, the presence of the gas component and its dissipative character are essential.


2000 ◽  
Vol 175 ◽  
pp. 617-620
Author(s):  
John M. Porter

AbstractIt is assumed that the dynamics of Be star discs is dominated by the effects of viscous stresses. By examining angular momentum transport in discs, we show that many, if not all observed Be star discs should be accretion discs unless (i) the disc is acted upon by another agent (e.g. magnetic fields or the stellar radiation field), or (ii) the disc cools significantly as it flows outwards.


2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A49 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Scepi ◽  
G. Lesur ◽  
G. Dubus ◽  
M. Flock

Dwarf novae (DNe) are accreting white dwarfs that show eruptions caused by a thermal-viscous instability in the accretion disk. The outburst timescales constrain α, the ratio of the viscous stress to the thermal pressure, which phenomenologically connects to the mechanism of angular momentum transport. The eruptive state has α  ≈  0.1 while the quiescent state has α  ≈  0.03. Turbulent transport that is due to the magneto-rotational instability (MRI) is generally considered to be the source of angular momentum transport in DNe. The presence of a large-scale poloidal field threading the disk is known to enhance MRI-driven transport. Here, we perform 3D local magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shearing-box simulations including vertical stratification, radiative transfer, and a net constant vertical magnetic flux to investigate how transport changes between the outburst and quiescent states of DNe. We find that a net vertical constant magnetic field, as could be provided by the white dwarf or by its stellar companion, provides a higher α in quiescence than in outburst, in opposition to what is expected. Including resistivity quenches MRI turbulence in quiescence, suppressing transport, unless the magnetic field is high enough, which again leads to α  ≈  0.1. A major difference between simulations with a net poloidal flux and simulations without a net flux is that angular momentum transport in the former is shared between turbulent radial transport and wind-driven vertical transport. We find that wind-driven transport dominates in quiescence even for moderately low magnetic fields ∼1 G. This can have a great impact on observational signatures since wind-driven transport does not heat the disk. Furthermore, wind transport cannot be reduced to an α prescription. We provide fits to the dependence of α with β, the ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure, and Teff, the effective temperature of the disk, as well as a prescription for the wind torque as a function of β that is in agreement with both local and global simulations. We conclude that the evolution of the thermal-viscous instability, and its consequences on the outburst cycles of CVs, needs to be thoroughly revised to take into account that most of the accretion energy may be carried away by a wind instead of being locally dissipated.


2014 ◽  
Vol 573 ◽  
pp. A80 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Rüdiger ◽  
M. Gellert ◽  
F. Spada ◽  
I. Tereshin

2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (4) ◽  
pp. 6103-6119 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Béthune ◽  
Henrik Latter

ABSTRACT The vertical temperature structure of a protoplanetary disc bears on several processes relevant to planet formation, such as gas and dust grain chemistry, ice lines, and convection. The temperature profile is controlled by irradiation from the central star and by any internal source of heat such as might arise from gas accretion. We investigate the heat and angular momentum transport generated by the resistive dissipation of magnetic fields in laminar discs. We use local 1D simulations to obtain vertical temperature profiles for typical conditions in the inner disc (0.5–4 au). Using simple assumptions for the gas ionization and opacity, the heating and cooling rates are computed self-consistently in the framework of radiative non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics. We characterize steady solutions that are symmetric about the mid-plane and which may be associated with saturated Hall-shear unstable modes. We also examine the dissipation of electric currents driven by global accretion-ejection structures. In both cases we obtain significant heating for a sufficiently high opacity. Strong magnetic fields can induce an order-unity temperature increase in the disc mid-plane, a convectively unstable entropy profile, and a surface emissivity equivalent to a viscous heating of α ∼ 10−2. These results show how magnetic fields may drive efficient accretion and heating in weakly ionized discs where turbulence might be inefficient, at least for a range of radii and ages of the disc.


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