A null-field continuation of force-free electrodynamics, with geodesic principal null directions, is introduced and shown to match 1D PIC simulations after loss of magnetic dominance in Alfvén wave collisions and type-changing solutions.
Stability in Force-Free Electrodynamics
2 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
2
Pith papers citing it
abstract
We show that flows of pure electromagnetic energy are subject to instabilities familiar from hydrodynamics and plasma physics---Kelvin-Helmholtz and screw instabilities. In the framework of force-free electrodynamics, it is found that electric-like tangential discontinuities are Kelvin-Helmholtz-unstable. All non-trivial cylindrically symmetrical magnetic configurations are screw-unstable. The Poynting jet of the Goldreich-Julian pulsar is screw-unstable if the current density in the polar cap region exceeds the charge density times the speed of light. This may be the process that determines the pulsar luminosity.
fields
astro-ph.HE 2years
2026 2representative citing papers
Force-free simulations confirm that fast magnetosonic waves undergo efficient parametric decay into secondary FMS and Alfvén waves, producing a broad spectrum and continued energy drain even after equipartition.
citing papers explorer
-
Continuation of Force-Free Electrodynamics upon the loss of magnetic dominance
A null-field continuation of force-free electrodynamics, with geodesic principal null directions, is introduced and shown to match 1D PIC simulations after loss of magnetic dominance in Alfvén wave collisions and type-changing solutions.