Resistive instability of a shearing boundary layer with imbedded shearing magnetic fields

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1973 · Physics of Fluids (New York)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1694226· OSTI ID:4315790

Lessen, Martin

The stability of a special three-dimensional shearing boundary layer with imbedded shearing magnetic fields is studied. Boundary layer solutions are obtained for a finitely, electrically conducting fluid, and then the sixth-order differential equations desribing the instability are solved numerically. It is found that the flow is always unstable and that the neutral stability curves pass through the origin of the alpha -R diagram, where sigma is the wave number and R is the Reynolds number. An increase of the magnetic field tends to stabilize the flow when the conductivity is small or extremely large. An increase of resistivity has a stabilizing effect at moderate magnetic Prandtl number and a destabilizing effect at high magnetic Prandtl number.

• Research Organization: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-29-022405
• OSTI ID: 4315790
• Journal Information: Physics of Fluids (New York), Journal Name: Physics of Fluids (New York) Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 16; ISSN 0031-9171; ISSN PFLDAS
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*ELECTROHYDRODYNAMICS-- SHEAR
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BOUNDARY LAYERS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA SIMULATION