Gravitational instability of partially-ionized plasma in an oblique magnetic field

The effects of Hall currents, finite conductivity, and collision with neutrals have been studied on the gravitational instability of a partially-ionized plasma. It is assumed that plasma is permeated by an oblique magnetic field. The dispersion relation has been obtained and numerical calculations have been performed to obtain the dependence of the growth rate of the gravitationally unstable mode on the various physical parameters involved. It is found that Jeans's criterion remains unchanged in the presence of Hall currents, finite conductivity, and collisions. The Hall currents, finite conductivity, and collisions have destabilizing influence on the unstable mode of wave propagation of a gravitational instability of partially-ionized plasma.     

Sunspots and physics of magnetic flux tubes overstability and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a magnetic field

We have studied the dynamical properties of convective overstability and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a vertical magnetic field with a downdraft. The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and overstability produce the upward downward propagating Alfvén waves depending upon the magnitudes of the kinematic viscosity coefficient (eddy viscosity) ν, and thermometric conductivity κ. It is found that the instability may be driven by the density stratification and the effect of the eddy viscosity is to make the system stable. We discuss also the interaction of the overstability inx<0 and the downdraft inx>0, and the overstability at a vertical boundary of the field.     

Thermal-convective instability of a composite plasma in a stellar atmosphere with rotation and magnetic field

Thermal-convective instability of a composite plasma in a stellar atmosphere, when the effects of a uniform rotation and a uniform magnetic field are included simultaneously, is discussed. It is found that the criterion for monotonic instability is the same as in the absence or presence (separately) of these two effects.     

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of superimposed magnetized,rotating fluids with neutral particles and resistivity

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of two superimposed fluids has been studied. One of the fluids is non-conducting and the other is conducting with finite resistivity. The fluids are assumed rotating and slipping past each other with a relative velocity. The neutral particles are also incorporated in one of the fluids of the system. A general dispersion relation has been derived and discussed under different conditions. The effect of rotation and the neutral particles, considering an infinitely-conducting system has also been analyzed and it is observed that small rotation and the presence of neutral particles destabilize the system. The effect of neutral particles is to decrease the effect of magnetic field, angular velocity, and the gravitational field. It has been found that an otherwise stable mode becomes overstable and grows exponentially in the presence of finite resistivity.     

Magnetized Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the presence of a radiation field

The purpose of this study is to analyze the dynamical role of a radiation field on the growth rate of the unstable Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) perturbations. As a first step toward this purpose, the analyze is done in a general way, irrespective of applying the model to a specific astronomical system. The transition zone between the two layers of the fluid is ignored. Then, we perform a linear analysis and by imposing suitable boundary conditions and considering a radiation field, we obtain appropriate dispersion relation. Unstable modes are studied by solving the dispersion equation numerically, and then growth rates of them are obtained. By analyzing our dispersion relation, we show that for a wide range of the input parameters, the radiation field has a destabilizing effect on KH instability. In eruptions of the galaxies or supermassive stars, the radiation field is dynamically important and because of the enhanced KH growth rates in the presence of the radiation; these eruptions can inject more momentum and energy into their environment and excite more turbulent motions.     

Rayleigh instability of compressible plasma in a vertical magnetic field

A study of the Rayleigh instability of a compressible plasma of density stratified in horizontal planes and subjected to a vertical magnetic field is made. The special case of a plane interface separating two superposed uniform plasmas of different densities and speeds of sound is treated as an example to illustrate the compressibility effects on the hydromagnetic Rayleigh instability. It is found that the hydromagneticcompressibility effects act toward reducing the growth rate in a hydrodynamically unstable situation.     

Thermosolutal-convective instability of a composite plasma in a stellar atmosphere including the effects of variable magnetic field and rotation

Thermosolutal-convective instability of a composite plasma in a stellar atmosphere is considered. The effect of a variable horizontal magnetic field and the simultaneous effect of a uniform rotation and a variable horizontal magnetic field have been considered on the thermosolutal-convective instability. We have derived the sufficient conditions for the existence of monotonic instability. It is found that the criteria for monotonic instability hold good in the presence of a variable horizontal magnetic field as well as in the presence of a uniform rotation and a variable horizontal magnetic field.     

The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in dusty plasmas

The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in magnetized, dusty plasmas is examined, for both negatively and positively charged dust. The critical shear in the ion velocity along the magnetic field is computed as a function of the charge residing on dust grains.     

On the effect of oblique disturbances on Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at magnetospheric boundary layers and in solar wind

This paper is concerned with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the indissipative plasma with an external magnetic field. A detailed analysis is made of the results known from the approximation of a tangential discontinuity. The finiteness of the interface thickness effect is considered numerically at the arbitrary distribution of the density, velocity and magnetic field vectors inside this shear layer. The influence of plasma compressibility with an arbitrarily varying magnetic field is investigated. The main role of oblique disturbances with respect to the flow rate direction is shown under conditions of a large plasma compressibility. As such perturbations move away from the interface, their amplitude is damped much more slowly than in the case of weak compressibility. However, their wavelength remains, approximately, the same as that of longitudinal waves in the case of incompressibility. The linear approximation suggests the importance of oblique waves in the energetics of the interaction between the shear layer and the outward medium. A comparison is made of the instability period on discontinuities in the solar wind, and at magnetospheric and plasmaspheric boundaries, with the range of geomagnetic pulsations.     

Gravitational instability of a composite and rotating plasma in the presence of a variable magnetic field through a porous medium

The gravitational instability of an infinite homogeneous self-gravitating plasma through porous medium is considered to include, separately, the effects due to rotation and collisions between ionized and neutral components. The dispersion relations are obtained in both cases. It is found that the gravitational instability of a composite and rotating plasma in the presence of a variable horizontal magnetic field through porous medium is determined by the Jeans's criterion.     

Gravitational instability of a rotating partially-ionized plasma carrying a uniform magnetic field with hall effect

The problem of gravitational instability of an infinite homogeneous self-gravitating medium carrying a uniform magnetic field in the presence of Hall effect has been investigated to include the effect due to rotation. The dispersion relation has been obtained. It has been found that the Jeans's criterion for the instability remains unaffected even when the effect due to rotation is considered in the presence of Hall effect carrying a uniform magnetic.     

Thermosolutal-convective instability of a composite stellar atmosphere in the presence of a variable magnetic field

The thermosolutal-convective instability of a composite stellar atmosphere is considered in the presence of variable horizontal magnetic field and collisional effects. The criteria for monotonic instability are obtained which generalize the criterion derived for thermal-convective instability in the absence of above effects.     

Two-stream instability in plasmas with arbitrary orientation of magnetic field

The problem of two-stream instability in plasmas where electrons move through ions with arbitrary orientation of the magnetic field is discussed. Electrostatic and electromagnetic instabilities have both been discussed. It is found that the strength and orientation of the magnetic field both affect the electrostatic waves propagating along the streaming direction to a considerable extent. The electromagnetic instability with a cross-field orientation is associated with a larger range of unstable wavenumber and larger growth rates compared to any other coexisting electrostatic instability.     

Gnetic wave instability in a plasma ith relativistic particles in a random magnetic field

A new mechanism, which accounts for the direct excitation of electromagnetic waves by relativistic particles moving in random magnetic fields, is considered. We are then able to study maser-type wave excitations by slightly anisotropic particle distribution functions as well as electromagnetic wave emissions in beam-plasma interactions     

Thermal-convective instability of a composite rotating stellar atmosphere in the presence of a variable magnetic field

The thermal-convective instability of a composite stellar atmosphere is considered in the presence of rotation, variable horizontal magnetic field, and collisional effects. The criteria for monotonic instability are obtained which generalize the criterion derived for thermal-convective instability in the absence of above effects.     

The instability of a horizontal magnetic field in an atmosphere stable against convection

The theoretical problem posed by the buoyant escape of a magnetic field from the interior of a stably stratified body bears directly on the question of the present existence of primordial magnetic fields in stars. This paper treats the onset of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability of the upper boundary of a uniform horizontal magnetic field in a stably stratified atmosphere. The calculations are carried out in the Boussinesq approximation and show the rapid growth of the initial infinitesimal perturbation of the boundary. This result is in contrast to the extremely slow buoyant rise of a separate flux tube in the same atmosphere. Thus for instance, at a depth of 1/3R beneath the surface of the Sun, a field of 10² G develops ripples over a scale of 10³ km in a characteristic time of 50 years, whereas the characteristic rise time of the same field in separate flux tubes with the same dimensions is 10¹⁰ years. Thus, the development of irregularities proceeds quickly, soon slowing, however, to a very slow pace when the amplitude of the irregularities becomes significant. Altogether the calculations show the complexity of the question of the existence of remnant primordial magnetic fields in stellar interiors.This work was supported in part by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Grant NGL 14-001-001     

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in an Alfvén resonant layer of a solar coronal loop

A Kelvin-Helmholtz instability has been identified numerically on an azimuthally symmetric Alfvén resonant layer in an axially bounded, straight cylindrical coronal loop. The physical model employed is an incompressible, reduced magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model including resistivity, viscosity, and density variation. The set of equations is solved numerically as an initial value problem. The linear growth rate of this instability is shown to be approximately proportional to the Alfvén driving amplitude and inversely proportional to the width of the Alfvén resonant layer. It is also shown that the linear growth rate increases linearly with m - 1 up to a certain m, reaches its maximum value for the mode whose half wavelength is comparable to the Alfvén resonant layer width, and decreases at higher m's. (m is the azimuthal mode number.)     

Larmor radius effects on the instability of a stratified partially-ionized plasma in the presence of Hall currents and magnetic resistivity

Instability of a stratified layer of a partially-ionized plasma has been investigated in the simultaneous presence of the effects of Hall currents, magnetic resistivity, finite Larmor radius (FLR), and viscosity. The ambient magnetic field is assumed to be uniform and acting along the vertical direction. The solution is shown to be characterized by a variational principle, based on it the solution has been obtained for a plasma in which the density is stratified exponentially along the vertical. It is found that the viscosity, friction with neutrals, and FLR have all stabilizing influence on the growth rate of the unstable mode of disturbance. Magnetic resistivity and Hall currents are, however, found to have a destabilizing influence.