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Title: Evolution of the Orszag--Tang vortex system in a compressible medium. I. Initial average subsonic flow

Abstract

In this paper the results of fully compressible, Fourier collocation, numerical simulations of the Orszag--Tang vortex system are presented. The initial conditions for this system consist of a nonrandom, periodic field in which the magnetic and velocity field contain X points but differ in modal structure along one spatial direction. The velocity field is initially solenoidal, with the total initial pressure field consisting of the superposition of the appropriate incompressible pressure distribution upon a flat pressure field corresponding to the initial, average Mach number of the flow. In these numerical simulations, this initial Mach number is varied from 0.2--0.6. These values correspond to average plasma beta values ranging from 30.0 to 3.3, respectively. It is found that compressible effects develop within one or two Alfven transit times, as manifested in the spectra of compressible quantities such as the mass density and the nonsolenoidal flow field. These effects include (1) a retardation of growth of correlation between the magnetic field and the velocity field, (2) the emergence of compressible small-scale structure such as massive jets, and (3) bifurcation of eddies in the compressible flow field. Differences between the incompressible and compressible results tend to increase with increasing initial average Mach number.

Authors:
;  [1]
  1. Laboratory for Computational Physics and Fluid Dynamics, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (US)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
5287092
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physics of Fluids B: Plasma Physics; (USA)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 1:11; Journal ID: ISSN 0899-8221
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; COLLISIONAL PLASMA; DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS; CORRELATIONS; COULOMB FIELD; DEBYE LENGTH; EXTRAPOLATION; FUNCTIONS; GREEN FUNCTION; IONS; KINETIC EQUATIONS; NUMERICAL SOLUTION; PLASMA SHEATH; CHARGED PARTICLES; DIMENSIONS; ELECTRIC FIELDS; EQUATIONS; LENGTH; PLASMA; 640410* - Fluid Physics- General Fluid Dynamics; 640100 - Astrophysics & Cosmology

Citation Formats

Dahlburg, R B, and Picone, J M. Evolution of the Orszag--Tang vortex system in a compressible medium. I. Initial average subsonic flow. United States: N. p., 1989. Web. doi:10.1063/1.859081.
Dahlburg, R B, & Picone, J M. Evolution of the Orszag--Tang vortex system in a compressible medium. I. Initial average subsonic flow. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.859081
Dahlburg, R B, and Picone, J M. 1989. "Evolution of the Orszag--Tang vortex system in a compressible medium. I. Initial average subsonic flow". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.859081.
@article{osti_5287092,
title = {Evolution of the Orszag--Tang vortex system in a compressible medium. I. Initial average subsonic flow},
author = {Dahlburg, R B and Picone, J M},
abstractNote = {In this paper the results of fully compressible, Fourier collocation, numerical simulations of the Orszag--Tang vortex system are presented. The initial conditions for this system consist of a nonrandom, periodic field in which the magnetic and velocity field contain X points but differ in modal structure along one spatial direction. The velocity field is initially solenoidal, with the total initial pressure field consisting of the superposition of the appropriate incompressible pressure distribution upon a flat pressure field corresponding to the initial, average Mach number of the flow. In these numerical simulations, this initial Mach number is varied from 0.2--0.6. These values correspond to average plasma beta values ranging from 30.0 to 3.3, respectively. It is found that compressible effects develop within one or two Alfven transit times, as manifested in the spectra of compressible quantities such as the mass density and the nonsolenoidal flow field. These effects include (1) a retardation of growth of correlation between the magnetic field and the velocity field, (2) the emergence of compressible small-scale structure such as massive jets, and (3) bifurcation of eddies in the compressible flow field. Differences between the incompressible and compressible results tend to increase with increasing initial average Mach number.},
doi = {10.1063/1.859081},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5287092}, journal = {Physics of Fluids B: Plasma Physics; (USA)},
issn = {0899-8221},
number = ,
volume = 1:11,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1989},
month = {Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1989}
}