arXiv subjects

Takayoshi Sano

Publications and source records attributed to Takayoshi Sano.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Broadening of Cyclotron Resonance Conditions in the Relativistic Interaction of an Intense Laser with Overdense Plasmas

The interaction of dense plasmas with an intense laser under a strong external magnetic field has been investigated. When the cyclotron frequency for the ambient magnetic field is higher than the laser frequency, the laser's electromagnetic field is converted to the whistler mode that propagates along the field line. Because of the nature of the whistler wave, the laser light penetrates into dense plasmas with no cutoff density, and produces superthermal electrons through cyclotron resonance. It is found that the cyclotron resonance absorption occurs effectively under the broadened conditions, or a wider range of the external field, which is caused by the presence of relativistic electrons accelerated by the laser field. The upper limit of the ambient field for the resonance increases in proportion to the square root of the relativistic laser intensity. The propagation of a large-amplitude whistler wave could raise the possibility for plasma heating and particle acceleration deep inside dense plasmas.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2016

Spontaneous Formation of Surface Magnetic Structure from Large-scale Dynamo in Strongly-stratified Convection

We report the first successful simulation of spontaneous formation of surface magnetic structures from a large-scale dynamo by strongly-stratified thermal convection in Cartesian geometry. The large-scale dynamo observed in our strongly-stratified model has physical properties similar to those in earlier weakly-stratified convective dynamo simulations, indicating that the $α^2$-type mechanism is responsible for it. Additionally to the large-scale dynamo, we find that large-scale structures of the vertical magnetic field are spontaneously formed in the convection zone surface only for the case of strongly-stratified atmosphere. The organization of the vertical magnetic field proceeds in the upper convection zone within tens of convective turn-over time and band-like bipolar structures are recurrently-appeared in the dynamo-saturated stage. We examine possibilities of several candidates as the origin of the surface magnetic structure formation, and then suggest the existence of an as-yet-unknown mechanism for the self-organization of the large-scale magnetic structure, which should be inherent in the strongly-stratified convective atmosphere.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

Dependence of the saturation level of magnetorotational instability on gas pressure and magnetic Prandtl number

A large set of numerical simulations of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence induced by the magnetorotational instability (MRI) is presented. Revisiting the previous survey conducted by Sano et al. (2004), we investigate the gas pressure dependence of the saturation level. In ideal MHD simulations, the gas pressure dependence is found to be very sensitive to the choice of a numerical scheme. This is because the numerical magnetic Prandtl number varies according to the scheme as well as the pressure, which considerably affects the results. The saturation level is more sensitive to the numerical magnetic Prandtl number than the pressure. In MHD simulations with explicit viscosity and resistivity, the saturation level increases with the physical magnetic Prandtl number, and it is almost independent of the gas pressure when the magnetic Prandtl number is constant. This is indicative of the incompressible turbulence saturated by the secondary tearing instability.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Mean-Field Modeling of $α^2$-Dynamo Coupled with Direct Numerical Simulations of Rigidly Rotating Convection

The mechanism of large-scale dynamos in rigidly rotating stratified convection is explored by direct numerical simulations (DNS) in Cartesian geometry. A mean-field dynamo model is also constructed using turbulent velocity profiles consistently extracted from the corresponding DNS results. By quantitative comparison between the DNS and our mean-field model, it is demonstrated that the oscillatory $α^2$ dynamo wave, excited and sustained in the convection zone, is responsible for large-scale magnetic activities such as cyclic polarity reversal and spatiotemporal migration. The results provide strong evidence that a nonuniformity of the $α$-effect, which is a natural outcome of rotating stratified convection, can be an important prerequisite for large-scale stellar dynamos, even without the $Ω$-effect.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Convection Causes Enhanced Magnetic Turbulence in Accretion Disks in Outburst

We present the results of local, vertically stratified, radiation MHD shearing box simulations of MRI turbulence appropriate for the hydrogen ionizing regime of dwarf nova and soft X-ray transient outbursts. We incorporate the frequency-integrated opacities and equation of state for this regime, but neglect non-ideal MHD effects and surface irradiation, and do not impose net vertical magnetic flux. We find two stable thermal equilibrium tracks in the effective temperature versus surface mass density plane, in qualitative agreement with the S-curve picture of the standard disk instability model. We find that the large opacity at temperatures near $10^4$K, a corollary of the hydrogen ionization transition, triggers strong, intermittent thermal convection on the upper stable branch. This convection strengthens the magnetic turbulent dynamo and greatly enhances the time-averaged value of the stress to thermal pressure ratio $α$, possibly by generating vertical magnetic field that may seed the axisymmetric magnetorotational instability, and by increasing cooling so that the pressure does not rise in proportion to the turbulent dissipation. These enhanced stress to pressure ratios may alleviate the order of magnitude discrepancy between the $α$-values observationally inferred in the outburst state and those that have been measured from previous local numerical simulations of magnetorotational turbulence that lack net vertical magnetic flux.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

Long-term Evolution of Large-scale Magnetic Fields in Rotating Stratified Convection

Convective dynamo simulations are performed in local Cartesian geometry. We report the first successful simulation of a large-scale oscillatory dynamo in rigidly rotating convection without stably stratified layers. A key requirement for exciting the large-scale dynamo is a sufficiently long integration time comparable to the ohmic diffusion time. By comparing two models with and without stably stratified layers, their effect on the large-scale dynamo is also studied. The spatiotemporal evolution of the large-scale magnetic field is similar in both models. However, it is intriguing that the magnetic cycle is much shorter in the model without the stable layer than with the stable layer. This suggests that the stable layer impedes the cyclic variations of the large-scale magnetic field.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Critical Magnetic Field Strength for Suppression of the Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability in Plasmas

The critical strength of a magnetic field required for the suppression of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) is investigated numerically by using a two-dimensional single-mode analysis. For the cases of MHD parallel shocks, the RMI can be stabilized as a result of the extraction of vorticity from the interface. A useful formula describing a critical condition for MHD RMI has been introduced, and which is successfully confirmed by the direct numerical simulations. The critical field strength is found to be largely depending on the Mach number of the incident shock. If the shock is strong enough, even low-$β$ plasmas can be subject to the growth of the RMI.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2012

Magnetic Field Amplification Associated with the Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability

The amplification of a magnetic field due to the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) is investigated by two-dimensional MHD simulations. Single-mode analysis is adopted to reveal definite relation between the nonlinear evolution of RMI and the field enhancement. It is found that an ambient magnetic field is stretched by fluid motions associated with the RMI, and the strength is amplified significantly by more than two orders of magnitude. The saturation level of the field is determined by a balance between the amplified magnetic pressure and the thermal pressure after shock passage. This effective amplification can be achieved in a wide range of the conditions for the RMI such as the Mach number of an incident shock and the density ratio at a contact discontinuity. The results suggest that the RMI could be a robust mechanism of the amplification of interstellar magnetic fields and cause the origin of localized strong fields observed at the shock of supernova remnants.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2008

Axisymmetric Magnetorotational Instability in Viscous Accretion Disks

Axisymmetric magnetorotational instability (MRI) in viscous accretion disks is investigated by linear analysis and two-dimensional nonlinear simulations. The linear growth of the viscous MRI is characterized by the Reynolds number defined as $R_{\rm MRI} \equiv v_A^2/νΩ$, where $v_A$ is the Alfv{é}n velocity, $ν$ is the kinematic viscosity, and $Ω$ is the angular velocity of the disk. Although the linear growth rate is suppressed considerably as the Reynolds number decreases, the nonlinear behavior is found to be almost independent of $R_{\rm MRI}$. At the nonlinear evolutionary stage, a two-channel flow continues growing and the Maxwell stress increases until the end of calculations even though the Reynolds number is much smaller than unity. A large portion of the injected energy to the system is converted to the magnetic energy. The gain rate of the thermal energy, on the other hand, is found to be much larger than the viscous heating rate. Nonlinear behavior of the MRI in the viscous regime and its difference from that in the highly resistive regime can be explained schematically by using the characteristics of the linear dispersion relation. Applying our results to the case with both the viscosity and resistivity, it is anticipated that the critical value of the Lundquist number $S_{\rm MRI} \equiv v_A^2/ηΩ$ for active turbulence depends on the magnetic Prandtl number $S_{{\rm MRI},c} \propto Pm^{1/2}$ in the regime of $Pm \gg 1$ and remains constant when $Pm \ll 1$, where $Pm \equiv S_{\rm MRI}/R_{\rm MRI} = ν/η$ and $η$ is the magnetic diffusivity.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Dead Zone Formation and Nonsteady Hyperaccretion in Collapsar Disks : A Possible Origin of Short-Term Variability in the Prompt Emission of Gamma-Ray Bursts

The central engine of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is believed to be a hot and dense disk with hyperaccretion onto a few solar-mass black hole. We investigate where the magnetorotational instability (MRI) actively operates in the hyperaccretion disk, which can cause angular momentum transport in the disk. The inner region of hyperaccretion disks can be neutrino opaque, and the energy- and momentum-transport by neutrinos could affect the growth of the MRI significantly. Assuming reasonable disk models and a weak magnetic field $B \lesssim 10^{14} \rm{G}$, it is found that the MRI is strongly suppressed by the neutrino viscosity in the inner region of hyperaccretion disks. On the other hand, the MRI can drive active MHD turbulence in the outer neutrino-transparent region regardless of the field strength. This suggests that the baryonic matter is accumulated into the inner dead zone where the MRI grows inactively and the angular momentum transport is inefficient. When the dead zone gains a large amount of mass and becomes gravitationally unstable, intense mass accretion onto the central black hole would occur episodically through the gravitational torque. This process can be a physical mechanism of the short-term variability in the prompt emission of GRBs. Finally, the origin of flaring activities in the X-ray afterglow is predicted in the context of our episodic accretion scenario.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

The Effect of Neutrino Radiation on Magnetorotational Instability in Proto-Neutron Stars

Neutrino radiation takes a major role in the momentum, heat, and lepton transports in proto-neutron stars (PNSs). These diffusive processes affect the growth of magnetorotational instability (MRI) in PNSs. We perform a local linear analysis for the axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric MRI including the effects of neutrino transports and ohmic dissipation. We find that the MRI can grow even in the multi-diffusive situations that are realized in neutrino loaded PNSs. When the toroidal magnetic component dominates over the poloidal one, nonaxisymmetric MRI modes grow much faster than axisymmetric modes. These results suggest the importance of the nonaxisymmetric MRI in PNSs. Thus the understandings of three-dimensional nonlinear evolutions of the MRI are necessary to reveal the explosion mechanism of core-collapse supernovae.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Nonaxisymmetric Magnetorotational Instability in Proto-Neutron Stars

We investigate the stability of differentially rotating proto-neutron stars (PNSs) with a toroidal magnetic field. Stability criteria for nonaxisymmetric MHD instabilities are derived using a local linear analysis. PNSs are expected to have much stronger radial shear in the rotation velocity compared to normal stars. We find that nonaxisymmetric magnetorotational instability (NMRI) with a large azimuthal wavenumber $m$ is dominant over the kink mode ($m=1$) in differentially rotating PNSs. The growth rate of the NMRI is of the order of the angular velocity $Ω$ which is faster than that of the kink-type instability by several orders of magnitude. The stability criteria are analogous to those of the axisymmetric magnetorotational instability with a poloidal field, although the effects of leptonic gradients are considered in our analysis. The NMRI can grow even in convectively stable layers if the wavevectors of unstable modes are parallel to the restoring force by the Brunt-Väisälä oscillation. The nonlinear evolution of NMRI could amplify the magnetic fields and drive MHD turbulence in PNSs, which may lead to enhancement of the neutrino luminosity.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Self-Sustained Ionization and Vanishing Dead Zones in Protoplanetary Disks

We analyze the ionization state of the magnetohydrodynamically turbulent protoplanetary disks and propose a new mechanism of sustaining ionization. First, we show that in the quasi-steady state of turbulence driven by magnetorotational instability in a typical protoplanetary disk with dust grains, the amount of energy dissipation should be sufficient for providing the ionization energy that is required for activating magnetorotational instability. Second, we show that in the disk with dust grains the energetic electrons that compose electric currents in weakly ionized gas can provide collisional ionization, depending on the actual saturation state of magnetorotational turbulence. On the other hand, we show that in the protoplanetary disks with the reduced effect of dust grains, the turbulent motion can homogenize the ionization degree, leading to the activation of magnetorotational instability even in the absence of other ionization processes. The results in this Letter indicate that most of the regions in protoplanetary disks remain magnetically active, and we thus require a change in the theoretical modeling of planet formation.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Angular Momentum Transport by MHD Turbulence in Accretion Disks: Gas Pressure Dependence of the Saturation Level of the Magnetorotational Instability

The saturation level of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) is investigated using three-dimensional MHD simulations. The shearing box approximation is adopted and the vertical component of gravity is ignored, so that the evolution of the MRI is followed in a small local part of the disk. We focus on the dependence of the saturation level of the stress on the gas pressure, which is a key assumption in the standard alpha disk model. From our numerical experiments it is found that there is a weak power-law relation between the saturation level of the Maxwell stress and the gas pressure in the nonlinear regime; the higher the gas pressure, the larger the stress. Although the power-law index depends slightly on the initial field geometry, the relationship between stress and gas pressure is independent of the initial field strength, and is unaffected by Ohmic dissipation if the magnetic Reynolds number is at least 10. The relationship is the same in adiabatic calculations, where pressure increases over time, and nearly-isothermal calculations, where pressure varies little with time. Our numerical results are qualitatively consistent with an idea that the saturation level of the MRI is determined by a balance between the growth of the MRI and the dissipation of the field through reconnection. The quantitative interpretation of the pressure-stress relation, however, may require advances in the theoretical understanding of non-steady magnetic reconnection.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

A Local One-Zone Model of MHD Turbulence in Dwarf Nova Disks

The evolution of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) during the transition from outburst to quiescence in a dwarf nova disk is investigated using three-dimensional MHD simulations. The shearing box approximation is adopted for the analysis, so that the efficiency of angular momentum transport is studied in a small local patch of the disk: this is usually referred as to a one-zone model. To take account of the low ionization fraction of the disk, the induction equation includes both ohmic dissipation and the Hall effect. We induce a transition from outburst to quiescence by an instantaneous decrease of the temperature. The evolution of the MRI during the transition is found to be very sensitive to the temperature of the quiescent disk. As long as the temperature is higher than a critical value of about 2000 K, MHD turbulence and angular momentum transport is sustained by the MRI. However, MHD turbulence dies away within an orbital time if the temperature falls below this critical value. In this case, the stress drops off by more than 2 orders of magnitude, and is dominated by the Reynolds stress associated with the remnant motions from the outburst. The critical temperature depends slightly on the distance from the central star and the local density of the disk.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

The Effect of the Hall Term on the Nonlinear Evolution of the Magnetorotational Instability: II. Saturation Level and Critical Magnetic Reynolds Number

The nonlinear evolution of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) in weakly ionized accretion disks, including the effect of the Hall term and ohmic dissipation, is investigated using local three-dimensional MHD simulations and various initial magnetic field geometries. When the magnetic Reynolds number, Re_M \equiv v_A^2 / ηΩ(where v_A is the Alfven speed, ηthe magnetic diffusivity, and Ωthe angular frequency), is initially larger than a critical value Re_{M, crit}, the MRI evolves into MHD turbulence in which angular momentum is transported efficiently by the Maxwell stress. If Re_M < Re_{M, crit}, however, ohmic dissipation suppresses the MRI, and the stress is reduced by several orders of magnitude. The critical value is in the range of 1 - 30 depending on the initial field configuration. The Hall effect does not modify the critical magnetic Reynolds number by much, but enhances the saturation level of the Maxwell stress by a factor of a few. We show that the saturation level of the MRI is characterized by v_{Az}^2 / ηΩ, where v_{Az} is the Alfven speed in the nonlinear regime along the vertical component of the field. The condition for turbulence and significant transport is given by v_{Az}^2 / ηΩ\gtrsim 1, and this critical value is independent of the strength and geometry of the magnetic field or the size of the Hall term. If the magnetic field strength in an accretion disk can be estimated observationally, and the magnetic Reynolds number v_A^2 / ηΩis larger than about 30, this would imply the MRI is operating in the disk.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

The Effect of the Hall Term on the Nonlinear Evolution of the Magnetorotational Instability: I. Local Axisymmetric Simulations

The effect of the Hall term on the evolution of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) in weakly ionized accretion disks is investigated using local axisymmetric simulations. First, we show that the Hall term has important effects on the MRI when the temperature and density in the disk is below a few thousand K and between 10^13 and 10^18 cm^{-3} respectively. Such conditions can occur in the quiescent phase of dwarf nova disks, or in the inner part (inside 10 - 100 AU) of protoplanetary disks. When the Hall term is important, the properties of the MRI are dependent on the direction of the magnetic field with respect to the angular velocity vector Ω. If the disk is threaded by a uniform vertical field oriented in the same sense as Ω, the axisymmetric evolution of the MRI is an exponentially growing two-channel flow without saturation. When the field is oppositely directed to Ω, however, small scale fluctuations prevent the nonlinear growth of the channel flow and the MRI evolves into MHD turbulence. These results are anticipated from the characteristics of the linear dispersion relation. In axisymmetry on a field with zero-net flux, the evolution of the MRI is independent of the size of the Hall term relative to the inductive term. The evolution in this case is determined mostly by the effect of ohmic dissipation.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Saturation and Thermalization of the Magnetorotational Instability: Recurrent Channel Flows and Reconnections

The nonlinear evolution and the saturation mechanism of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) are investigated using three-dimensional resistive MHD simulations. A local shearing box is used for our numerical analysis and the simulations begin with a purely vertical magnetic field. We find that the magnetic stress in the nonlinear stage of the MRI is strongly fluctuating. The time evolution shows the quasi-periodic recurrence of spike-shape variations typically for a few orbits which correspond to the rapid amplification of the magnetic field by the nonlinear growth of a two-channel solution followed by the decay through magnetic reconnections. The increase rate of the total energy in the shearing box system is analytically related to the volume-averaged torque in the system. We find that at the saturated state this energy gain of the system is balanced with the increase of the thermal energy mostly due to the joule heating. The spike-shape time evolution is a general feature of the nonlinear evolution of the MRI in the disks threaded by vertical fields and can be seen if the effective magnetic Reynolds number is larger than about unity.

astro-ph↗