(Abriged) The magnetorotational instability (MRI) is believed to be an efficient way to transport angular momentum in accretion discs. It has also been suggested as a way to amplify magnetic fields in discs, the instability acting as a nonlinear dynamo. Recent numerical work has shown that a large-scale magnetic field, which is predominantly azimuthal, can be sustained by motions driven by the MRI of this same field. Following this idea, we present an analytical calculation of the MRI in the presence of an azimuthal field with a non-trivial vertical structure. We find that the mean radial EMF associated to MRI modes tends to reduce the magnetic energy, acting like a turbulent resistivity by mixing the non-uniform azimuthal field. Meanwhile, the azimuthal EMF generates a radial field that, in combination with the Keplerian shear, tends to amplify the azimuthal field and can therefore assist in the dynamo process. This effect, however, is reversed for sufficiently strong azimuthal fields, naturally leading to a saturation of the dynamo and possibly to a cyclic behaviour of the magnetic field, as found in previous numerical works.
A linear but global numerical model for the magnetorotational instability (MRI) in disk geometry is considered to estimate the instability parameters for galaxies. Similarity rules suggested by a local analysis are applied to reveal a universal behavior approached by the results of global calculations for large magnetic Prandtl numbers. The findings are used to estimate the MRI characteristics for galaxies with their very large magnetic Prandtl numbers which cannot be attained in any numerical simulations. The resulting minimum field for the instability, Bmin 10-25 G, is small compared to any …
(abridged) MHD turbulence is known to exist in shearing boxes with either zero or nonzero net magnetic flux. However, the way turbulence survives in the zero-net-flux case is not explained by linear theory and appears as a purely numerical result. Aims: We look for a nonlinear mechanism able to explain the persistence of MHD turbulence in shearing boxes with zero net magnetic flux, and potentially leading to large-scale dynamo action. Method: Spectral nonlinear simulations of the magnetorotational instability are shown to exhibit a large-scale axisymmetric magnetic field, maintained for a few …
Hydromagnetic stresses in accretion discs have been the subject of intense theoretical research over the past one and a half decades. Most of the disc simulations have assumed a small initial magnetic field and studied the turbulence that arises from the magnetorotational instability. However, gaseous discs in galactic nuclei and in some binary systems are likely to have significant initial magnetisation. Motivated by this, we performed ideal magnetohydrodynamic simulations of strongly magnetised, vertically stratified discs in a Keplerian potential. Our initial equilibrium configuration, whic…
In this letter, we present numerical calculations made to investigate the possible resolution dependence of the Shakura & Sunyaev (1973) viscosity parameter alpha from local magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the magnetorotational instability (MRI). We find that the values of alpha do indeed depend significantly on the numerical resolution but also that when the highest resolutions attainable by the computational resources available are used, the growth of the alpha-parameter seems to saturate. The values of alpha are at most of the order of 10^(-3), which indicates that the sole presence of t…
We show that an MHD-instability driven dynamo (IDD) operating in a hot accretion disk is capable of generating energetically adequate magnetic flux deposition rates above and below a mildly advective accretion disk structure. The dynamo is driven by the magnetorotational instability (MRI) of a toroidal field in a shear flow and is limited by the buoyancy of `horizontal' flux and by reconnection in the turbulent medium. The efficiency of magnetic energy deposition is estimated to be comparable to the neutrino losses although an MHD collimation mechanism may deem this process a more viable alter…
Despite the importance of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) as a fundamental mechanism for angular momentum transport in magnetized accretion disks, it has yet to be demonstrated in the laboratory. A liquid sodium alpha-omega dynamo experiment at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology provides an ideal environment to study the MRI in a rotating metal annulus (Couette flow). A local stability analysis is performed as a function of shear, magnetic field strength, magnetic Reynolds number, and turbulent Prandtl number. The later takes into account the minimum turbulence induced b…
Identifying generic physical mechanisms responsible for the generation of magnetic fields and turbulence in differentially rotating flows is fundamental to understand the dynamics of astrophysical objects such as accretion disks and stars. In this paper, we discuss the concept of subcritical dynamo action and its hydrodynamic analogue exemplified by the process of nonlinear transition to turbulence in non-rotating wall-bounded shear flows. To illustrate this idea, we describe some recent results on nonlinear hydrodynamic transition to turbulence and nonlinear dynamo action in rotating shear fl…
The linear stability of MHD Taylor-Couette flow of infinite vertical extension is considered for various magnetic Prandtl numbers Pm. The calculations are performed for a wide gap container with \hatη=0.5 with an axial uniform magnetic field excluding counterrotating cylinders. For both hydrodynamically stable and unstable flows the magnetorotational instability produces characteristic minima of the Reynolds number for certain (low) magnetic field amplitudes and Pm> 0.01. For Pm <~ 1 there is a characteristic magnetic field amplitude beyond which the instability sets in in form of nonaxisymmet…
Numerical simulations of turbulent, magnetized, differentially rotating flows driven by the magnetorotational instability are often used to calculate the effective values of alpha viscosity that is invoked in analytical models of accretion discs. In this paper we use various dynamical models of turbulent magnetohydrodynamic stresses, as well as numerical simulations of shearing boxes, to show that angular momentum transport in MRI-driven accretion discs cannot be described by the standard model for shear viscosity. In particular, we demonstrate that turbulent magnetorotational stresses are not…
The magnetorotational instability (MRI) (Balbus and Hawley 1991, Hawley and Balbus 1991) transports angular momentum radially outwards in accretion discs through the distortion of the magnetic field lines that connect fluid elements. In protostellar discs, low conductivity is important, especially in the inner regions (Gammie 1996, Wardle 1997). As a result, low k modes are relevant and vertical stratification is a key factor of the analysis. However, most models of the MRI in these environments have adopted either the ambipolar diffusion or resistive approximations and have not simultaneously…
Magnetic fields play a dual role in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). First, GRB and afterglow spectra (the latter interpreted as emission from external shocks) imply synchrotron radiation in a magnetic field that is a significant fraction of equipartition with the particle energy density. Second, magnetized rotators with $\sim 10^{15}$ Gauss field may power GRB by transporting Poynting flux to large distances where it dissipates and also drives an external shock. The field amplification at external shocks and in the engine involve separate processes. External shock fields are likely either seeded by a…
We present a linear analysis of the vertical structure and growth of the magnetorotational instability in stratified, weakly ionised accretion discs, such as protostellar and quiescent dwarf novae systems. The method includes the effects of the magnetic coupling, the conductivity regime of the fluid and the strength of the magnetic field, which is initially vertical. The conductivity is treated as a tensor and assumed constant with height. We obtained solutions for the structure and growth rate of global unstable modes for different conductivity regimes, strengths of the initial magnetic field…
The magnetorotational instability (MRI) plays an essential role in the formation of stars and black holes. By destabilizing hydrodynamically stable Keplerian flows, the MRI triggers turbulence and enables outward transport of angular momentum in accretion discs. We present the results of a liquid metal Taylor-Couette experiment under the influence of helical magnetic fields that show typical features of MRI at Reynolds numbers of the order 1000 and Hartmann numbers of the order 10. Particular focus is laid on an improved experiment in which split end caps are used to minimize the Ekman pumping…
The magnetorotational instability (MRI) of a weakly ionized, differentially rotating, magnetized plasma disk is investigated in the multi-fluid framework. The disk is threaded by a uniform vertical magnetic field and charge is carried by electrons and ions only. The inclusion of ion dynamics causes significant modification to the conductivity tensor in a weakly ionized disk. The parallel, Pedersen and Hall component of conductivity tensor become time dependent quantities resulting in the AC and DC part of the conductivity. The conductivity may change sign leading to the significant modificatio…
The magnetorotational instability is thought to be responsible for the generation of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence that leads to enhanced outward angular momentum transport in accretion discs. Here, we present the first formal analytical proof showing that, during the exponential growth of the instability, the mean (averaged over the disc scale-height) Reynolds stress is always positive, the mean Maxwell stress is always negative, and hence the mean total stress is positive and leads to a net outward flux of angular momentum. More importantly, we show that the ratio of the Maxwell to the Reyn…
The linear dispersion relation for the magnetorotational instability (MRI) is derived including finite Larmor radius (FLR) effects. In particular, the Braginskii form of the ion gyroviscosity, which represents the first-order FLR corrections to the two-fluid equations, is retained. It is shown that FLR effects are the most important effects in the limit of weak magnetic fields, and are much more important than the Hall effect when beta >> 1, where beta is the ratio of the ion thermal pressure to the magnetic pressure. FLR effects may completely stabilize even MRI modes having wavelengths much …
Although the magnetorotational instability (MRI) has been widely accepted as a powerful accretion mechanism in magnetized accretion disks, it has not been realized in the laboratory. The possibility of studying MRI in a rotating liquid-metal annulus (Couette flow) is explored by local and global stability analysis and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. Stability diagrams are drawn in dimensionless parameters, and also in terms of the angular velocities at the inner and outer cylinders. It is shown that MRI can be triggered in a moderately rapidly rotating table-top apparatus, using easy-to…
Two different computational approaches to the magnetorotational instability (MRI) are pursued: the shearing box approach which is suited for local simulations and the embedding box approach whereby a Taylor Couette flow is embedded in a box so that numerical problems with the coordinate singularity are avoided. New shearing box simulations are presented and differences between regular and hyperviscosity are discussed. Preliminary simulations of spherical nonlinear Taylor Couette flow in an embedding box are presented and the effects of an axial field on the background flow are studied.
[Abridged] The turbulent stresses that lead to angular momentum transport in accretion discs have often been treated as resulting from an isotropic effective viscosity, related to the pressure through the alpha parametrization of Shakura & Sunyaev. This simple approach may be adequate for the simplest aspects of accretion disc theory, and was necessitated historically by an incomplete understanding of the origin of the turbulence. More recently, Balbus & Hawley have shown that the magnetorotational instability provides a robust mechanism of generating turbulent Reynolds and Maxwell stresses in…
We discuss results of 2D simulations of magnetorotational(MR) mechanism of core collapse supernova explosions. Due to the nonuniform collapse the collapsed core rotates differentially. In the presence of initial poloidal magnetic field its toroidal component appears and grows with time. Increased magnetic pressure leads to foramtion of compression wave which moves outwards. It transforms into the fast MHD shock wave (supernova shock wave). The shape of the MR supernova explosion qualitatively depends on the configuration of the initial magnetic field. For the dipole-like initial magnetic field…
We investigate the linear growth and vertical structure of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) in weakly ionised, stratified accretion discs. The magnetic field is initially vertical and dust grains are assumed to have settled towards the midplane, so charges are carried by electrons and ions only. Solutions are obtained at representative radial locations from the central protostar for different choices of the initial magnetic field strength, sources of ionisation, and disc surface density. The MRI is active over a wide range of magnetic field strengths and fluid conditions in low conducti…
In dilute astrophysical plasmas, the collisional mean free path of a particle can exceed its Larmor radius. Under these conditions, the thermal conductivity and viscosity of the plasma can be dramatically altered. This alteration allows outwardly decreasing angular velocity or temperature gradients to become strongly destabilizing. This paper generalizes an earlier, simple analysis of the viscosity instability, by including the dynamical effects of magnetic field line tension. Such effects lower the growth rates found in the absence of such tension, but still allow growth rates in excess of th…
For more than a decade, the so-called shearing box model has been used to study the fundamental local dynamics of accretion discs. This approach has proved to be very useful because it allows high resolution and long term studies to be carried out, studies that would not be possible for a global disc. Localised disc studies have largely focused on examining the rate of enhanced transport of angular momentum, essentially a sum of the Reynolds and Maxwell stresses. The dominant radial-azimuthal component of this stress tensor is, in the classic Shakura-Sunayaev model, expressed as a constant alp…
The effects of ambipolar diffusion on the linear stability of weakly ionised accretion discs are examined. Earlier work on this topic has focused on axial magnetic fields and perturbation wavenumbers. We consider here more general field and wavenumber geometries, and find that qualitatively new results are obtained. Provided a radial wavenumber and azimuthal field are present along with their axial counterparts, ambipolar diffusion will always be destabilising, with unstable local modes appearing at well-defined wavenumber bands. The wavenumber corresponding to the maximum growth rate need not…
Recent evidence of the phenomenal energetics involved in gamma ray burst events strongly suggests that the progenitor must efficiently convert gravitational binding energy into a moderately collimated outflow, possibly in the form of a Poynting jet. We show that an MHD-instability driven dynamo (IDD) operating in a hot accretion disk is capable of generating energetically adecuate magnetic flux deposition rates above and below a mildly advective accretion disk structure. The dynamo is driven by the magnetorotational instability (MRI) of a toroidal field in a shear flow and is limited by the bu…
(Abridged) In this paper we have used the RIEMANN code for computational astrophysics to study the interaction of a realistic distribution of dust grains with gas in a vertically stratified protostellar accretion disc. The disc was modeled to have the density and temperature of a minimum mass solar nebula, and was driven to a fully-developed turbulence via the magnetorotational instability (MRI). We find that the inclusion of standard dust to gas ratios does not have any significant effect on the MRI even when the dust sediments to the midplane of the accretion disc. The density distribution o…
We measure the turbulent diffusion coefficient of dust grains embedded in magnetorotational turbulence in a protoplanetary disc directly from numerical simulations and compare it to the turbulent viscosity of the flow. The simulations are done in a local coordinate frame comoving with the gas in Keplerian rotation. Periodic boundary conditions are used in all directions, and vertical gravity is not applied to the gas. Using a two-fluid approach, small dust grains of various sizes (with friction times up to $\varOmega_0 τ_{\rm f}=0.02$) are allowed to move under the influence of friction with t…
We explore the consequences of a magnetic dynamo origin for the viscosity in accretion discs, for the structure and evolution of discs in dwarf nova systems. We propose that the rapid cooling that sets in at the end of a dwarf nova eruption acts to inhibit the Balbus-Hawley instability, and thereby to quench dynamo action and so reduce disc viscosity. We demonstrate that a modified disc instability model can reproduce the basic properties of dwarf nova eruptions, as well as some properties of quiescent discs. We also discuss some observational consequences of our model.
We consider the linear axisymmetric stability of a differentially rotating collisionless plasma in the presence of a weak magnetic field; we restrict our analysis to wavelengths much larger than the proton Larmor radius. This is the kinetic version of the magnetorotational instability explored extensively as mechanism for magnetic field amplification and angular momentum transport in accretion disks. The kinetic calculation is appropriate for hot accretion flows onto compact objects and for the growth of very weak magnetic fields, where the collisional mean free path is larger than the wavelen…
A photon or neutrino gas--semi-contained by a baryonic species through scattering--comprises a rather peculiar MHD fluid where the magnetic field is truly frozen only to the co-moving volume associated with the mass density. Although radiative diffusion precludes an adiabatic treatment of compressive perturbations, we show that the energy equation may be cast in "quasi-adiabatic" form for exponentially growing non-propagating wave modes. Defining a generalized quasi-adiabatic index leads to a relatively straightforward dispersion relation for non-axisymmetric magnetorotational modes in the hor…
We present an axisymmetric numerical model of a dynamo active accretion disc. If the dynamo-generated magnetic field in the disc is sufficiently strong (close to equipartition with thermal energy), a fast magneto-centrifugally driven outflow develops within a conical shell near the rotation axis, together with a slower pressure driven outflow from the outer parts of the disc as well as around the axis. Our results show that a dynamo active accretion disc can contribute to driving an outflow even without any external magnetic field. The fast outflow in the conical shell is confined by the azimu…
Possible origins of the magnetic fields of neutron stars include inheritance from the main sequence progenitor and dynamo action at some stage of evolution of progenitor. Inheritance is not sufficient to explain the fields of magnetars. Energetic considerations point to differential rotation in the final stages of core collapse process as the most likely source of field generation, at least for magnetars. A runaway phase of exponential growth is needed to achieve sufficient field amplification during relevant phase of core collapse; it can probably be provided by a some form of magnetorotation…
An axisymmetric model of a cool, dynamo-active accretion disc is applied to protostellar discs. Thermally and magnetically driven outflows develop that are not collimated within 0.1 AU. In the presence of a central magnetic field from the protostar, accretion onto the protostar is highly episodic, which is in agreement with earlier work.
Three completely different lines of work have recently led to the conclusion that the magnetorotational instability (MRI) may create a hoop-stress that collimates jets. One argument is based upon consideration that magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, in general, and turbulence driven by the MRI, in particular, is more nearly viscoelastic than it is viscous. Another argument is based upon the dispersion relation for the MRI in the context of 1D simulations of core collapse. Yet a third argument rests in the results of direct numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations of collapsars and thick accretio…
We investigate the action of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) in the context of iron-core collapse. Exponential growth of the field on the rotation time scale by the MRI will dominate the linear growth process of field line "wrapping" with the same characteristic time. We examine a variety of initial rotation states, with solid body rotation or a gradient in rotational velocity, that correspond to models in the literature. A relatively modest value of the initial rotation, a period of ~ 10 s, will give a very rapidly rotating PNS and hence strong differential rotation with respect to th…
A review of galactic magnetic fields is given with emphasis on simple analytical solutions of relevant equations and detailed comparison with observations. It is shown that mean-field dynamo theory, in its simplest form, is in a remarkably good agreement with observations of galactic magnetic fields. It is argued that the disc-halo connection can play crucial role in the nonlinear evolution of regular magnetic fields in spiral galaxies by driving flux of magnetic helicity from the disc, thus supporting healthy dynamo action.
It is argued that accretion discs in young stellar objects may have hot coronae that are heated by magnetic reconnection. This is a consequence of the magneto-rotational instability driving turbulence in the disc. Magnetic reconnection away from the midplane leads to heating of the corona which, in turn, contributes to driving disc winds.
The interaction between a protostellar magnetosphere and a surrounding dynamo-active accretion disc is investigated using an axisymmetric mean-field model. In all models investigated, the dynamo-generated magnetic field in the disc arranges itself such that in the corona, the field threading the disc is anti-aligned with the central dipole so that no X-point forms. When the magnetospheric field is strong enough (stellar surface field strength around 2 kG or larger), accretion happens in a recurrent fashion with periods of around 15 to 30 days, which is somewhat longer than the stellar rotation…
We examine the behaviour of an axisymmetric galactic dynamo model with a radial accretion flow in the disc. We also introduce a vertical magnetic flux through the galactic midplane, to simulate the presence of a large scale magnetic field trapped by the galaxy when forming. The trapped vertical flux is conserved and advected towards the disc centre by the radial flow. We confirm that accretion flows of magnitude several km/s through a significant part of the galactic disc can markedly inhibit dynamo action. Moreover, advection of the vertical flux in general results in mixed parity galactic fi…
The current understanding of astrophysical magnetic fields is reviewed, focusing on their generation and maintenance by turbulence. In the astrophysical context this generation is usually explained by a self-excited dynamo, which involves flows that can amplify a weak 'seed' magnetic field exponentially fast. Particular emphasis is placed on the nonlinear saturation of the dynamo. Analytic and numerical results are discussed both for small scale dynamos, which are completely isotropic, and for large scale dynamos, where some form of parity breaking is crucial. Central to the discussion of larg…
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 the container, no large scale field is being produced and there is no resistively slow saturation phase as otherwise expected. Second, the build-up of a large scale field is demonstrated in a simulation where a localized magnetic eddy produces field on a larger scale if the eddy possesses a swirl. Such a set-up might be realizable experimentally through coils.…
It is widely known that cosmic magnetic fields, i.e. the fields of planets, stars, and galaxies, are produced by the hydromagnetic dynamo effect in moving electrically conducting fluids. It is less well known that cosmic magnetic fields play also an active role in cosmic structure formation by enabling outward transport of angular momentum in accretion disks via the magnetorotational instability (MRI). Considerable theoretical and computational progress has been made in understanding both processes. In addition to this, the last ten years have seen tremendous efforts in studying both effects i…
The thin-disc global asymptotics are discussed for axisymmetric mean-field dynamos with vacuum boundary conditions allowing for non-local terms arising from a finite radial component of the mean magnetic field at the disc surface. This leads to an integro-differential operator in the equation for the radial distribution of the mean magnetic field strength, $Q(r)$ in the disc plane at a distance $r$ from its centre; an asymptotic form of its solution at large distances from the dynamo active region is obtained. Numerical solutions of the integro-differential equation confirm that the non-local …
We investigate the linear growth and vertical structure of the MRI in protoplanetary discs when dust grains are well mixed with the gas over the entire disc thickness. All the grains have the same radius (a = 0.1, 1 or 3 micron) and constitute 1 % of the total mass of the gas. Solutions are obtained at R = 5 and 10 AU for a minimum-mass solar nebula model and different choices of the initially vertical magnetic field strength (B), configuration of the diffusivity tensor and grain sizes. We find that when no grains are present, or they are > 1 micron, the midplane remains magnetically coupled f…
Considerable progress has been made in understanding the hydrodynamics, but only to a certain extent the magnetohydrodynamics, of shaping bipolar outflows forming protoplanetary nebulae (PPNs) and planetary nebulae (PNs). In particular, Blackman et al. (2001b,2001a) point out two problems related to the formation of PNs and PPNs, regarding the formation of multipolar structures and the origin of the nebulae. They propose a solution by giving a semi-quantitative physical model which should be investigated by numerical simulations.
Star-disc coupling is considered in numerical models where the stellar field is not an imposed perfect dipole, but instead a more irregular self-adjusting dynamo-generated field. Using axisymmetric simulations of the hydromagnetic mean-field equations, it is shown that the resulting stellar field configuration is more complex, but significantly better suited for driving a stellar wind. In agreement with recent findings by a number of people, star-disc coupling is less efficient in braking the star than previously thought. Moreover, stellar wind braking becomes equally important. In contrast to…
The possibility of non-helical large scale dynamo action is investigated using three-dimensional simulations of global accretion discs as well as idealized local simulations without rotation and only shear. Particular emphasis is placed on a certain correlation between vorticity and azimuthal velocity gradient which has been predicted to drive large scale dynamo action, independent of the presence or absence of kinetic helicity. In the global disc simulations two types of behaviours are found: those which do show this type of velocity correlation and those which do not. The former ones are typ…
Two examples of magnetic anti-dynamos in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) are given. The first is a 3D metric conformally related to Arnold cat fast dynamo metric: ${ds_{A}}^{2}=e^{-λz}dp^{2}+e^{λz}dq^{2}+dz^{2}$ is shown to present a behaviour of non-dynamos where the magnetic field exponentially decay in time. The curvature decay as z-coordinates increases without bounds. Some of the Riemann curvature components such as $R_{pzpz}$ also undergoes dissipation while component $R_{qzqz}$ increases without bounds. The remaining curvature component $R_{pqpq}$ is constant on the torus surface. The other …
The term ``dynamo'' means different things to the laboratory fusion plasma and astrophysical plasma communities. To alleviate the resulting confusion and to facilitate interdisciplinary progress, we pinpoint conceptual differences and similarities between laboratory plasma dynamos and astrophysical dynamos. We can divide dynamos into three types: 1. magnetically dominated helical dynamos which sustain a large scale magnetic field against resistive decay and drive the magnetic geometry toward the lowest energy state, 2. flow-driven helical dynamos which amplify or sustain large scale magnetic f…
We report direct numerical simulations of dynamo generation for flow generated using a Taylor-Green forcing. We find that the bifurcation is subcritical, and show its bifurcation diagram. We connect the associated hysteretic behavior with hydrodynamics changes induced by the action of the Lorentz force. We show the geometry of the dynamo magnetic field and discuss how the dynamo transition can be induced when an external field is applied to the flow.
It is shown that the turbulent dynamo $α$-effect converts magnetic helicity from the turbulent field to the mean field when the turbulence is electromagnetic while the magnetic helicity of the mean-field is transported across space when the turbulence is electrostatic or due to the electron diamagnetic effect. In all cases, however, the dynamo effect strictly conserves the total helicity except for resistive effects and a small battery effect. Implications for astrophysical situations, especially for the solar dynamo, are discussed.
The study of dynamo action in astrophysical objects classically involves two timescales: the slow diffusive one and the fast advective one. We investigate the possibility of field amplification on an intermediate timescale associated with time dependent modulations of the flow. We consider a simple steady configuration for which dynamo action is not realised. We study the effect of time dependent perturbations of the flow. We show that some vanishing low frequency perturbations can yield exponential growth of the magnetic field on the typical time scale of oscillation. The dynamo mechanism rel…
