Transition to magnetorotational turbulence in Taylor-Couette flow with imposed azimuthal magnetic field
Guseva A, Willis AP, Hollerbach R, Avila M (2015)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2015
Journal
Publisher: Institute of Physics Publishing
Book Volume: 17
Pages Range: 15p
Journal Issue: 9
DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/17/9/093018
Abstract
The magnetorotational instability (MRI) is thought to be a powerful source of turbulence and momentum transport in astrophysical accretion discs, but obtaining observational evidence of its operation is challenging. Recently, laboratory experiments of Taylor-Couette flow with externally imposed axial and azimuthal magnetic fields have revealed the kinematic and dynamic properties of the MRI close to the instability onset. While good agreement was found with linear stability analyses, little is known about the transition to turbulence and transport properties of the MRI. We here report on a numerical investigation of the MRI with an imposed azimuthal magnetic field. We show that the laminar Taylor-Couette flow becomes unstable to a wave rotating in the azimuthal direction and standing in the axial direction via a supercritical Hopf bifurcation. Subsequently, the flow features a catastrophic transition to spatio-temporal defects which is mediated by a subcritical subharmonic Hopf bifurcation. Our results are in qualitative agreement with the PROMISE experiment and dramatically extend their realizable parameter range. We find that as the Reynolds number increases defects accumulate and grow into turbulence, yet the momentum transport scales weakly.
Authors with CRIS profile
Anna Guseva
Lehrstuhl für Strömungsmechanik
Marc Avila Canellas
Professur für Simulation in der Nano- und Mikrofluidmechanik
Involved external institutions
United Kingdom (GB)How to cite
APA:
Guseva, A., Willis, A.P., Hollerbach, R., & Avila, M. (2015). Transition to magnetorotational turbulence in Taylor-Couette flow with imposed azimuthal magnetic field. New Journal of Physics, 17(9), 15p. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/17/9/093018
MLA:
Guseva, Anna, et al. "Transition to magnetorotational turbulence in Taylor-Couette flow with imposed azimuthal magnetic field." New Journal of Physics 17.9 (2015): 15p.
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