Abstract
We demonstrate that a purely ideal mechanism, originating in the space-time distortion caused by the demands of special relativity, can break the topological constraint (leading to helicity conservation) that would forbid the emergence of a magnetic field (a generalized vorticity) in an ideal nonrelativistic dynamics. The new mechanism, arising from the interaction between the inhomogeneous flow fields and inhomogeneous entropy, is universal and can provide a finite seed even for mildly relativistic flows.
- Received 22 April 2010
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.095005
© 2010 The American Physical Society
Synopsis
Cosmic question
Published 10 September 2010
Where do cosmic magnetic fields come from?
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