Title

Stability Of Magnetohydrodynamic Stratified Shear Flows

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Acta Mech.

Keywords

Mechanics; Magnetic Field; Dynamical System; Fluid Dynamics; Velocity Profile; External Magnetic Field

Abstract

A study is made of the stability of a stratified shear flow in a perfectly conducting fluid in the presence of an external magnetic field aligned with the flow. A semi-circle theorem for the present hydromagnetic case is proved. The magnetic field is found to have a stabilizing effect on the flow. The Rayleigh-Taylor instability problem in a stratified conducting fluid is discussed. Finally, a study is made of the absorption of wave energy by the mean flow in the hydromagnetic case by considering a shear flow with an anti-symmetric velocity profile given byU=tanhz. Unlike the hydrodynamic case, it is found that, in the critical layer atU=0, the transfer of the wave energy to the mean flow occurs for any value of the Richardson number. This result implies again the stabilizing effect of the magnetic field on the shear flow.

Journal Title

Acta Mechanica

Volume

68

Issue/Number

1-2

Publication Date

1-1-1987

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

33

Last Page

42

WOS Identifier

WOS:A1987J703200003

ISSN

0001-5970

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