Summary: MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS Vol. 42 (2006), No. 2­3, pp. 199­206
VORTICITY GENERATION IN LOCALIZED
MAGNETIC FIELDS
S. Cuevas1
, S. Smolentsev2
, M. Abdou2
1
Center for Energy Research, National University of Mexico
A.P. 34, Temixco, Mor. 62580, Mexico
2
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of California
Los Angeles, 44-114 Eng. IV, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1795 USA
The generation of vorticity in localized magnetic fields is explored under the low magnetic
Reynolds number approximation. Analytic solutions for a creeping flow past a magnetic
point dipole are obtained through a perturbation method. Also, numerical calculations
for the flow past a finite size magnetic dipole are presented. It is shown that vortical
structures may become unstable when inertial effects are not negligible.
Introduction. Non-uniformities are commonly used to generate vorticity
in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows. For instance, the use of solid obstacles in
the flow under uniform magnetic fields has been widely explored both theoretically

Source: Abdou, Mohamed - Fusion Science and Technology Center, University of California at Los Angeles

Collections: Plasma Physics and Fusion