Abstract
The twisting of magnetic fields threading an accretion system can lead to the generation on axis of toroidal field loops. As the magnetic pressure increases, the toroidal field inflates, producing a flow. Collimation is due to a background corona, which radially confines this axially growing “magnetic tower”. We investigate the possibility of studying in the laboratory the dynamics, confinement and stability of magnetic tower jets. We present two-dimensional resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations of radial arrays, which consist of two concentric electrodes connected radially by thin metallic wires. In the laboratory, a radial wire array is driven by a 1 MA current which produces a hot, low density background plasma. During the current discharge a low plasma beta (β < 1), magnetic cavity develops in the background plasma (β is the ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure). This laboratory magnetic tower is driven by the magnetic pressure of the toroidal field and it is surrounded by a shock envelope. On axis, a high density column is produced by the pinch effect. The background plasma has >rsim1, and in the radial direction the magnetic tower is confined mostly by the thermal pressure. In contrast, in the axial direction the pressure rapidly decays and an elongated, well collimated magnetic-jet develops. This is later disrupted by the development of m = 0 instabilities arising in the axial column.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chittenden, J.P., Aliaga-Rossel, R., Lebedev, S.V., Mitchell, I.H., Tatarakis, M., Bell, A.R. and Haines, M.G.: 1997, Phys. Plasmas 4, 4309.
Ciardi, A., Lebedev, S.V., Chittenden, J.P. and Bland, S.N.: 2002, Laser Part. Beams 20, 255.
Kato, Y., Hayashy, M.R. and Matsumoto, R.: 2004, ApJ 600, 338.
Kato, Y., Mineshige, S. and Shibata, K.: 2004, ApJ 605, 307.
Lebedev, S.V, Beg, F.N., Bland, S.N., Chittenden, J.P., Danger, A.E., Haines, M.G., Kwek, K.H., Pikuz, S.A. and Shelkovenko, T.A.: 2001, Phys. Plasmas 8, 3734.
Lebedev, S.V, Chittenden, J.P., Beg, F.N., Bland, S.N., Ciardi, A., Ampleford, D., Hughes, S., Haines, M.G., Frank, A., Blackman, E.G. and Gardiner, T.: 2002, ApJ 564, 113.
Lovelace, R.V.E., Li, H., Koldoba, A.V., Ustyugova, G.V. and Romanova, M.M.: 2002, ApJ 572, 445.
Lovelace, R.V.E., Ustyugova, G.V. and Koldoba, A.V.: 1999, in: Y. Terzian, E. Khachikian and D. Weedman (eds.) Proceedings of IAU Syposium 194 on Active Galactic Nuclei and Related Phenomena, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, San Francisco, p. 208.
Lynden-Bell, D.: 1996, MNRAS 279, 389.
Lynden-Bell, D.: 2003, MNRAS 341, 1360.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ciardi, A., Lebedev, S.V., Chittenden, J.P. et al. Modeling Magnetic Tower Jets in the Laboratory. Astrophys Space Sci 298, 277–286 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-005-3947-8
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-005-3947-8