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Stability in Force-Free Electrodynamics

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arxiv astro-ph/9902288 v1 pith:A63SVTBE submitted 1999-02-19 astro-ph

Andrei Gruzinov This is my paper · ORCID
classification astro-ph
keywords densityelectrodynamicsforce-freeinstabilitiespulsarscrew-unstablechargeconfigurations
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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.

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Cited by 4 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score. OpenAlex reports about 18 citations worldwide. Full citation record

  1. Pulsar Rockets and Gaia Neutron Star Binaries

    astro-ph.HE 2025-07 conditional novelty 8.0 of 10

    The pulsar rocket force is exactly zero in ideal force-free electrodynamics, and Gaia neutron star eccentricities require rockets only for certain pre-supernova binary configurations.

  2. Continuation of Force-Free Electrodynamics upon the loss of magnetic dominance

    astro-ph.HE 2026-06 conditional novelty 7.0 of 10

    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...

  3. 1D Vlasov Simulations of QED Cascades Over Pulsar Polar Caps

    astro-ph.HE 2025-07 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    A new deterministic 1D Vlasov-Maxwell code reproduces quasiperiodic polar cap pair cascades and yields analytic scalings for gap size, cycle time, and surface heating.

  4. Nonlinear Decay of Fast Magnetosonic Waves through Weak Turbulence: Force-Free Electrodynamics Simulations

    astro-ph.HE 2026-06 unverdicted novelty 4.0 of 10

    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.

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