Magnetized thermal conduction fronts

Other

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

46

Cosmic Plasma, Magnetic Field Configurations, Magnetohydrodynamic Flow, Thermal Conductivity, Warm Fronts, Hot Electrons, Interstellar Matter, Nebulae, Plasma Dynamics, Self Consistent Fields

Scientific paper

The evolution of planar thermal conduction fronts in the presence of a dynamically weak, but otherwise self-consistent, magnetic field is considered. The field is assumed to be connected and untangled. In the diffusion limit for the thermal conductivity, these fronts exhibit self-similar behavior, even in the presence of a field. The role of the field is restricted to channeling the heat flux along its lines of force, and it enters into the problem as a dimensionless angle variable. 'Combing' (or opening) of insulating field lines by the evaporative flow is explicitly demonstrated. Unless the field is nearly perpendicular to the front normal in the hot gas, insulating effects are not profound. Self-similarity breaks down if the front becomes saturated, and under certain conditions magnetized saturated conduction fronts cannot propagate: the solution characteristics of the wave equation form caustics. The physical resolution is the advent of two-fluid (nonlocal) heating. Such Coulomb-heated fronts are expected to be relatively rare in typical astrophysical systems. The large-scale effects of a magnetic field on cloud evaporation in the interstellar medium are briefly discussed, and it is suggested that these fields preclude the presence of time-independent evaporative solutions. Thermal interfaces may then continue to evolve until radiative cooling halts their development; large tracts of warm 10,000 K gas may result.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Magnetized thermal conduction fronts does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Magnetized thermal conduction fronts, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Magnetized thermal conduction fronts will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1773220

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.