arXiv subjects

M. Hanasz

Publications and source records attributed to M. Hanasz.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv1997

The galactic dynamo effect due to Parker-shearing instability of magnetic flux tubes. I. General formalism and the linear approximation

In this paper we investigate the idea of Hanasz & Lesch 1993 that the galactic dynamo effect is due to the Parker instability of magnetic flux tubes. In addition to the former approach, we take into account more general physical conditions in this paper, by incorporating cosmic rays and differential forces due to the axisymmetric differential rotation and the density waves as well. We present the theory of slender magnetic flux tube dynamics in the thin flux tube approximation and the Lagrange description. This is the application of the formalism obtained for solar magnetic flux tubes by Spruit (1981), to the galactic conditions. We perform a linear stability analysis for the Parker-shearing instability of magnetic flux tubes in galactic discs and then calculate the dynamo coefficients. We present a number of new effects which are very essential for cosmological and contemporary evolution of galactic magnetic fields. First of all we demonstrate that a very strong dynamo $α$-effect is possible in the limit of weak magnetic fields in presence of cosmic rays. Second, we show that the differential force resulting from axisymmetric differential rotation and the linear density waves causes that the $α$-effect is essentially magnified in galactic arms and switched off in the interarm regions. Moreover, we predict a non-uniform magnetic field in spiral arms and well aligned one in interarm regions. These properties are well confirmed by recent observational results by Beck & Hoernes (1996)

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arXiv1997

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of relativistic jets - the transition from linear to nonlinear regime

The observed wiggles and knots in astrophysical jets as well as the curvilinear motion of radio emitting features are frequently interpreted as signatures of the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability (eg. Hardee 1987). We investigate the KH instability of a hydrodynamic jet composed of a relativistic gas, surrounded by a nonrelativistic external medium and moving with a relativistic bulk speed. We show basic nonlinear effects, which become important for a finite amplitude KH modes. Since the KH instability in supersonic jets involves acoustic waves over-reflected on jet boundaries, the basic nonlinear effect relies on the steepening of the acoustic wave fronts, leading to the formation of shocks. It turns our that the shocks appear predominantly in the external nonrelativistic gas, while the internal acoustic waves remain linear for a much longer time. In addition, the external medium "hardens" as soon as the boundary oscillation velocity becomes comparable to the external sound speed. On the other hand, the amplification of internal waves due to the over-reflection is limited by a nonlinearity of the Lorentz $γ$ factor. This implies that the sidereal oscillations of the jet boundary, resulting from the K-H instability, are limited to very small amplitudes comparable to a fraction of the jet radius.

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arXiv1997

The galactic dynamo effect due to Parker-shearing instability of magnetic flux tubes. II. Numerical simulations and the nonlinear evolution

In this paper we continue investigations of the Parker-shearing instability performing numerical simulations of the magnetic flux tube dynamics in the thin flux-tube approximation. We show that evolution of flux tubes resulting from numerical simulations is very similar to that of linear solutions if the vertical displacements are smaller than the vertical scale height $H$ of the galactic disc. If the vertical displacements are comparable to $H$, the vertical growth of perturbations is faster in the nonlinear range than in the linear one and we observe a rapid inflation of the flux tube at its top, which leads to a singularity in numerical simulations, if only the cosmic rays are taken into account. Then we perform simulations for the case of nonuniform external medium, which show that the dominating wavelength of the Parker instability is the same as the wavelength of modulations of external medium. As a consequence of this fact, in the case of dominating cosmic ray pressure, the dynamo $α$ effect related to these short wavelength modulations is much more efficient than that related to the linearly most unstable long wavelengths modes of the Parker instability. Under the influence of differential forces resulting from differential rotation and the density waves, the $α$-effect is essentially magnified in the spiral arms and diminished in the interarm regions, what confirms our previous results obtained in the linear approximation.

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arXiv1997

Hydrodynamical instability of extragalactic stratified jets

The recent development of tomographic analysis of radio data shows the presence of sheaths around several extragalactic jets. We have studied the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of such stratified jets, describing them as inner relativistic beams embedded in slower plasma envelopes. We find that the para- meters of the envelope generally determine the Kelvin-Helmholtz properties of the jet which thus appears isolated from any ambient external medium.

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arXiv1996

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of stratified jets

We investigate the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of stratified jets. The internal component (core) is made of a relativistic gas moving with a relativistic bulk speed. The second component (sheath or envelope) flows between the core and external gas with a nonrelativistic speed. Such a two-component jet describes a variety of possible astrophysical jet configurations like e.g. (1) a relativistic electron-positron beam penetrating a classical electron-proton disc wind or (2) a beam-cocoon structure. We perform a linear stability analysis of such a configuration in the hydrodynamic, plane-parallel, vortex-sheet approximation. The obtained solutions of the dispersion relation show very apparent differences with respect to the single-jet solutions. Due to the reflection of sound waves at the boundary between sheet and external gas, the growth rate as a function of wavenumber presents a specific oscillation pattern. Overdense sheets can slow down the growth rate and contribute to stabilize the configuration. Moreover, we obtain the result that even for relatively small sheet widths the properties of sheet start to dominate the jet dynamics. Such effects could have important astrophysical implications, for instance on the origin of the dichotomy between radio-loud and radio-quiet objects.

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