1999/11/24 by S. I. Vainshtein, С. И. Ваинштейн, S. M. Chitre +2 · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Condensed matter physics #Current (fluid) #Current density #Dissipation #Electric current #Electron #Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies #Hall effect #Magnetic energy #Magnetic field #Magnetization #Nuclear physics #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #astro-ph #physics.plasm-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreve.61.4422
published as Phys.Rev. E61 (2000) 4422 · 9 pages, changed fig. 3
arxiv created 1999/11/24 · openalex publication_date 2000/04/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We propose a mechanism for the fast dissipation of magnetic fields which is effective in a stratified medium where ion motions can be neglected. In such a medium, the field is frozen into the electrons, and Hall currents prevail. Although Hall currents conserve magnetic energy, in the presence of density gradients they are able to create current sheets which can be sites for efficient dissipation of magnetic fields. We recover the frequency omega(MH) for Hall oscillations modified by the presence of density gradients. We show that these oscillations can lead to an exchange of energy between different components of the field. We calculate the time evolution, and show that magnetic fields can dissipate on a time scale of order 1/omega(MH). This mechanism can play an important role in magnetic dissipation in systems with very steep density gradients, where the ions are static such as those found in the solid crust of neutron stars.