Nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic waves in a steady zonal circulation for a shallow fluid shell on the surface of a rotating sphere

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/165781· OSTI ID:5404340

Lou, Y Q

This paper considers two-dimensional nonlinear MHD waves of large horizontal spatial scales for a thin magnetofluid layer on the surface of a rotating sphere. The shallow fluid hydrodynamic equations are generalized to include the effects of magnetic fields, and it is shown that the resulting MHD equations can be reduced to a single scalar equation for a stream function involving several free functions. For special choices of these free functions, two kinds of finite-amplitude MHD waves are obtained, propagating in the azimuthal direction relative to the uniformly rotating background atmosphere in the presence of a background zonal magnetic field and a steady differential zonal flow. These two kinds of MHD waves are fundamentally due to the joint effects of the uniform rotation of the background atmosphere and background magnetic field; the first is an inertial wave of the Rossby (1939) and Haurwitz (1940) type, modified by the presence of the background zonal magnetic field, while the second is a magnetic Alfven-like wave which is modified by the uniform rotation of the background atmosphere. 23 references.

• Research Organization: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA
• OSTI ID: 5404340
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 322; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATMOSPHERES
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EARTH CORE
EQUATIONS
FLUID FLOW
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MOTION
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PHOTOSPHERE
ROTATION
SCALARS
SOLAR ATMOSPHERE
STEADY FLOW
STELLAR ATMOSPHERES
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
WAVE PROPAGATION