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The Effects of Magnetic Prandtl Number On MHD Turbulence. Steven A. Balbus Ecole Normale Supérieure Physics Department Paris, France. (Accretion) Flows May Be Classified into Three Regimes:. r gy << L global << mfp : Collisionless Regime .
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The Effects of Magnetic Prandtl Number On MHD Turbulence Steven A. Balbus Ecole Normale Supérieure Physics Department Paris,France
(Accretion) Flows May Be Classified into Three Regimes: • rgy << Lglobal << mfp : Collisionless Regime. • rgy << mfp << Lglobal : Dilute • mfp << rgy << Lglobal : Collisional The collisionless regime requires a kinetic approach; the dilute regime requires transport to follow B; the collisional regime is the standard for stars and disks.
Two collisional subregimes of interest: Ratio of kinematic viscosity to resistivity is called “Magnetic Prandtl Number.” Pm = /. Pm = (T/4.2 X 104)4 (1014/n) (Spitzer value.) Pm>>1: ISM (1014), ICM (1029), Solar Wind (1021) (all dilute!) Pm <<1: Liquid Metals (10-6), Stars (10-3), Accretion Disks (10-4)
WHY SHOULD WE CARE? • Because MHD turbulence seems to care a lot. The Kolmogorov picture of hydrodynamical turbulence (large scales insensitive to small scale dissipation) … Re=1011 Re=104 …appears not to hold for MHD turbulence.
Iskakov et al., PRL, 98, 208501 (2007) 5123, white noise, nonhelical forcing in a box
Magnetic Field Structure (Iskakov et al.): Pr = 1, Re=Rm=440 Pr = 0.07, Re=430, Rm=6200
MRI SIMULATIONS w/ VARYING Pm: (Fromang et al. arXiv 0705.3622v1 24/5/07) with no accretion, is perfectly OK. Pm regimes of sustained MHD turbulence in shearing box.
16 8 4 1 2 evolutionary history of <B>=0 runs, Rm=12500, Pm as shown. (Fromang et al. 2007).
Pm Effect for <B> .ne. 0: (Lesur & Longaretti 2007 arXive 0704.29431v1)
Schematic Behavior of Fluctuations with Pm 2 B + - Pm
Schematic Behavior of Fluctuations with Pm 2 B + - computational regime Pm
In Brief: MHD turbulence is sustained more easily, at higher levels, and with greater field coherence as Pm increases at fixed Re, for values of Pm ~1. Three independent groups have found this trend. Why should it be so?
B fields in the process of reconnection (Balbus & Hawley 1998)
Associated velocity fields: Viscous stress in the resistive layer is large.
Are there astrophysical flows that have Pm << 1, Pm ~ 1, Pm >> 1 ?
Are there astrophysical flows that have Pm << 1, Pm ~ 1, Pm >> 1 ? YES.
Are there astrophysical flows that have Pm << 1, Pm ~ 1, Pm >> 1 ? YES. Compact X-ray sources.
Behavior of Pm in models: We are motivated to find Pm dependence in alpha models. Balbus & Henri 2007 based on Frank, King, & Raine:
Behavior of Pm in models: We are motivated to find Pm dependence in alpha models. Balbus & Henri 2007 based on Frank, King, & Raine:
Behavior of Pm in models: We are motivated to find Pm dependence in alpha models. Balbus & Henri 2007 based on Frank, King, & Raine: where Mdot = fEdd X Mdot (Eddington).
M=10 Msol Mdot=.01 Edd Rcr =22 RS 0 50 Pm=10 Pm=1
Pm transition at M=10Msolar Mdot =0.1 Edd R=60RS
M=108 Msol Mdot=.01 Edd Rcr =10 RS Pm=1
Pm transition at M=108 Msolar Mdot =0.1 Edd R=34RS
MRI Dispersion Relation: Stability of Pm=1 Transition At the Pm=1 transition, a little extra heating goes a long way: Pm~T5 at constant pressure. A little heating causes a lot of Pm. Growing Pm causes higher turbulence fluctuation levels, yet more heating . . . Possible that the transition is rapid, even eruptive.
MRI Dispersion Relation: This evidence is rather circumstantial, and circumstantial evidence can be, well, misleading…
An analogue nonlinear system: 1. Linear growth independent of temperature. Non-linear saturation A(Pm) dependent on T. 3. Non-linear heating ~y2, cooling unspecified function of T. What are the stability properties of the saturated states?
Steady State: Linearize about (y0, T0), seek solutions of the form est . Then, a necessary condition for stability is: (Balbus &Lesaffre, 2007) C(T) is normally an increasing function of T. But A is a steeply decreasing function of T (Pm~T5) near the Pm=1 critical point. The transition need not be smooth and stable.
Schematic Behavior of Fluctuations with Pm 2 B + stable unstable - stable Pm
ASTROPHYSICAL IMPLICATIONS • Pm transition changes accretion from resistive to viscous • dissipation. • a.) Preferential ion heating. • b.) Little direct dissipation of electrical current. • Critical to determine the different radiative properties of • Pm >1 and Pm < 1 flows; relative dominance. • Pm >1 transition flow poorly described by alpha disk theory. (Large thermal energy flux.) • Related to state changes in compact X-ray sources?
SUMMARY • Character of MHD turbulence is sensitive to Pm, at least in the • regime Pm ~ 1. Larger Pm lead to higher turbulence levels. • 2. Classical BH and NS accretion disks appear to have a radius • at which Pm passes through unity (10-100 RS). Larger • stars do not. • Inner zone (Pm>1) and outer zone (Pm<1) likely to have different dynamical and thermal properties. 4. Nonlinear “dynamical systems” model suggests Pm transition is unstable. • Regime accessible by numerical simulation. Relative dominance of Pm <1, Pm>1 zones and observational states?