Abstract: This chapter discusses hydromagnetics—the properties of dense, well-conducting plasma imbedded in a magnetic field, with particular regard to the interaction between the magnetic field and macroscopic slow motions of the fluid. The essense of hydromagnetic approximation in plasma physics consists of the assumption that collisions are dominant in the medium. There is a strong interaction between the velocity and the magnetic fields when there is a strong coupling between the equation of motion and that of the magnetic field in the system of equations describing the process. The velocity field will be substantially affected by the magnetic field if the magnetic term is comparable to the acceleration term, that is, if the acceleration is mostly a result of magnetic forces. Such a field is characterized by an extreme value of magnetic energy in an isolated hydromagnetic system with infinite electrical conductivity. In a system with finite but large conductivity, a force-free field is a natural final state of the system. Such a field can decay without causing any motions in the system, and it is characterized by a minimum dissipation of the magnetic energy for a given value of that energy.
Publication Year: 1977
Publication Date: 1977-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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