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Observation of Axisymmetric Standard Magnetorotational Instability in the Laboratory

Yin Wang, Erik P. Gilson, Fatima Ebrahimi, Jeremy Goodman, and Hantao Ji
Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 115001 – Published 7 September 2022
Physics logo See Viewpoint: Experiment Sees Elusive Magnetic-Fluid Instability
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Abstract

We report the first direct evidence for the axisymmetric standard magnetorotational instability (SMRI) from a combined experimental and numerical study of a magnetized liquid-metal shear flow in a Taylor-Couette cell with independently rotating and electrically conducting end caps. When a uniform vertical magnetic field Bi is applied along the rotation axis, the measured radial magnetic field Br on the inner cylinder increases linearly with a small magnetic Reynolds number Rm due to the magnetization of the residue Ekman circulation. Onset of the axisymmetric SMRI is identified from the nonlinear increase of Br beyond a critical Rm in both experiments and nonlinear numerical simulations. The axisymmetric SMRI exists only at sufficiently large Rm and intermediate Bi, a feature consistent with theoretical predictions. Our simulations further show that the axisymmetric SMRI causes the velocity and magnetic fields to contribute an outward flux of axial angular momentum in the bulk region, just as it should in accretion disks.

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  • Received 8 April 2022
  • Revised 14 June 2022
  • Accepted 21 July 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.115001

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Nonlinear DynamicsPlasma PhysicsFluid DynamicsGravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

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Experiment Sees Elusive Magnetic-Fluid Instability

Published 7 September 2022

Magnetorotational instability—a process that might explain the dynamics of astrophysical accretion disks—has finally been observed in the laboratory.

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Authors & Affiliations

Yin Wang1,*, Erik P. Gilson1, Fatima Ebrahimi1,2, Jeremy Goodman2, and Hantao Ji1,2

  • 1Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, USA
  • 2Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA

  • *Corresponding author. ywang3@pppl.gov

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Issue

Vol. 129, Iss. 11 — 9 September 2022

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