Three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical simulation of expanding magnetic flux ropes
- Theoretische Physik I, Ruhr-Universitaet, 44780 Bochum (Germany)
- Experimentalphysik V, Ruhr-Universitaet, 44780 Bochum (Germany)
Three-dimensional, time-dependent numerical simulations of the dynamics of magnetic flux ropes are presented. The simulations are targeted towards an experiment previously conducted at California Institute of Technology [P. M. Bellan and J. F. Hansen, Phys. Plasmas 5, 1991 (1998)] which aimed at simulating solar prominence eruptions in the laboratory. The plasma dynamics is described by ideal magnetohydrodynamics using different models for the evolution of the mass density. The initial current distribution represents the situation at the plasma creation phase, while it is not increased during the simulation. Key features of the reported experimental observations like pinching of the current loop, its expansion and distortion into helical shape are reproduced in the numerical simulations. Details of the final structure depend on the choice of a specific model for the mass density.
- OSTI ID:
- 21120229
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 15, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2903904; (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations of expanding flux ropes: Influence of boundary driving
Formation and Initiation of Erupting Flux Rope and Embedded Filament Driven by Photospheric Converging Motion