Isothermal magnetostatic atmospheres. II. Similarity solutions with current proportional to the magnetic potential cubed

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/166251· OSTI ID:6995861

Webb, G M

The paper presents a family of isothermal magnetostatic atmospheres with one ignorable coordinate corresponding to a uniform gravitational field in a plane geometry. The distributed current in the model J is directed along the x-axis, where x is the horizontal ignorable coordinate. The current J is taken to be proportional to the cube of the magnetostatic potential A and falls off exponentially with distance vertical to the base with an e-folding distance equal to the gravitational scale height. A range of similarity solution examples are displayed depending on the values of the similarity parameters. Each similarity parameter corresponds to a symmetry of the underlying nonlinear elliptic equation for A. The similarity parameters also determine the source currents for the potential field solution of the family. The solutions show the interplay between the gravitational force, the J and B force (B, magnetic field induction) and the gas pressure gradient. 21 references.

• Research Organization: Arizona Univ., Tucson (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6995861
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 327; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102 -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
640104* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Solar Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATMOSPHERES
CARTESIAN COORDINATES
COORDINATES
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
ISOTHERMAL PROCESSES
MAGNETIC STARS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PRESSURE GRADIENTS
SOLAR ATMOSPHERE
STARS
STELLAR ATMOSPHERES
TIME DEPENDENCE