Gauging magnetorotational instability (Q638689)

The authors are concerned with axisymmetric stability of background states with purely axial magnetic fields. The governing equations are described, an abstract formulation is provided, and then criteria for stability and instability are derived. The basic flow is v = \(r\Omega\, e_\theta\) (in cylindrical coordinates \(r,\theta, z\)) between two cylinders of radii \(r_1, r_2\) and angular velocities \(\Omega_1,\Omega_2: \Omega(r) = a + b/r^2\), \(a=(\Omega_2r_2^2-\Omega_1r_1^2)/(r_2^2-r_1^2)\), \(b=(\Omega_1-\Omega_2)/(r_1^{-2}-r_2^{-2})\). A uniform magnetic field \(\mathbf B = B_0\,e_z\) permeates the fluid. Magnetorotational instability (MRI) is widely accepted as being important to theoretical astrophysics because it is the only linear instability known to grow significantly under the conditions prevailing in most accretion disks. Theorem 2.1 proves that MRI is suppressed, in fact no instability at all occurs with insulating boundary conditions, at those wave numbers for which \(\eta^2k^4>(\Omega_1-a)^2 \Omega_1/a>0\). A stronger Theorem 2.2 is proved: Instability at all occurs with insulating boundary conditions, for which \([\pi^2(\omega_{\text{min}}^2+1)\eta^2]/[(r_2^4\ln^2(r_2/r_1)]\geq(r\Omega')^2\Omega/(8a)\) throughout the flow, where \(\omega_{\text{min}}\) is the smallest positive solution of the equation \(\omega \tan[\omega \ln(r_2/r_1)] = 1\). Corollary 2.3 asserts that MRI can occur somewhere in the flow if the inequality in Theorem 2.2 is not satisfied.