Shallow Water Magnetohydrodynamics Research Articles

Lagrangian approach to nonlinear waves in non-dispersive and dispersive rotating shallow water magnetohydrodynamics

A Lagrangian approach to both hydrostatic non-dispersive in the short-wave range and non-hydrostatic dispersive rotating shallow-water magnetohydrodynamics is developed, and used to analyse weakly and fully nonlinear waves described by the model. Hyperbolic structure in the non-dispersive case is displayed and Riemann invariants are constructed. Characteristic equations are used to establish criteria of breaking and formation of shocks by magneto-gravity waves, and conditions of the appearance of contact discontinuities in Alfvén waves. As in the case of non-magnetic rotating shallow water, rotation cannot prevent breaking. The Lagrangian equations of the model are reduced to a single partial differential ‘master’ equation, which is used to analyse the propagation of weakly nonlinear waves of both families, with or without weak rotation, and with or without weak short-wave dispersion. Corresponding modulation equations are constructed and their main properties sketched. The same master equation is used to obtain fully nonlinear finite-amplitude wave solutions in particular cases of no short-wave dispersion or no rotation.

The Dynamics of Magnetic Rossby Waves in the Quasigeostrophic Shallow Water Magnetohydrodynamic Theory

The dynamics of magnetic Rossby waves are investigated by applying a quasigeostrophic shallow water magnetohydrodynamic system, which is linearized with respect to both uniform background flow and uniform magnetic field. Due to the influence of the free surface divergence, the phase speed for magnetic Rossby waves can be either a monotonically increasing or a monotonically decreasing function, and the resulting difference between the group velocity and the phase speed can be either positive or negative. This is determined by whether the corresponding Alfvén wave speed is the upper limit or not. Differently, the phase speed is always a monotonically increasing function and the difference between the group velocity and the phase speed is always positive for incompressible magnetic Rossby waves. Multiplying a factor, the wavenumber vector shares the same endpoint with the group velocity vector. The endpoint moves on a cycle that has a center at the k-axis and is tangent to the l-axis in the wavenumber space. The circle is quite similar to the Longuet-Higgins circle for Rossby waves on Earth’s atmosphere and ocean. The fundamental dynamics is the theoretical basis for deeply understanding the meridional energy transport by waves and the interaction between waves and the background states.

Invariant conservative finite-difference schemes for the one-dimensional shallow water magnetohydrodynamics equations in Lagrangian coordinates

Invariant finite-difference schemes for the one-dimensional shallow water equations in the presence of a magnetic field for various bottom topographies are constructed. Based on the results of the group classification recently carried out by the authors, finite-difference analogues of the conservation laws of the original differential model are obtained. Some typical problems are considered numerically, for which a comparison is made between the cases of a magnetic field presence and when it is absent (the standard shallow water model). The invariance of difference schemes in Lagrangian coordinates and the energy preservation on the obtained numerical solutions are also discussed.

Small Alfvén number limit for shallow water magnetohydrodynamics

Small Alfvén number limit of the shallow water magnetohydrodynamic equations with ill-prepared initial data is proved by applying fast averaging method. It is rigorously justified that the solutions of the original system tend to the solution of a one-dimensional system coupled with a linear system as the Alfvén number goes to zero. The approach is also used to study the small Alfvén number limit of the three-dimensional ideal incompressible magnetohydrodynamic equations.

Symmetries and conservation laws of the one-dimensional shallow water magnetohydrodynamics equations in Lagrangian coordinates

Symmetries of the one-dimensional shallow water magnetohydrodynamics equations (SMHD) in Gilman’s approximation are studied. The SMHD equations are considered in case of a plane and uneven bottom topography in Lagrangian and Eulerian coordinates. Symmetry classification separates out all bottom topographies which yields substantially different admitted symmetries. The SMHD equations in Lagrangian coordinates were reduced to a single second order PDE. The Lagrangian formalism and Noether’s theorem are used to construct conservation laws of the SMHD equations. Some new conservation laws for various bottom topographies are obtained. The results are also represented in Eulerian coordinates. Invariant and partially invariant solutions are constructed.

A new computational investigation to the new exact solutions of (3 + 1)-dimensional WKdV equations via two novel procedures arising in shallow water magnetohydrodynamics

Abstract Various new exact solutions to ( 3 + 1 ) \left(3+1) -dimensional Wazwaz–KdV equations are obtained in this work via two techniques: the modified Kudryashov procedure and modified simple equation method. The 3D plots, contour plots, and 2D plots of some obtained solutions are provided to describe the dynamic characteristics of the obtained solutions. Our employed techniques are very helpful in constructing new exact solutions to several nonlinear models encountered in ocean scientific phenomena arising in stratified flows, shallow water, plasma physics, and internal waves.

Coherent magnetic modon solutions in quasi-geostrophic shallow water magnetohydrodynamics

A class of exact solutions of the magnetohydrodynamic quasi-geostrophic equations (MQG), which result from rotating shallow water magnetohydrodynamics in the limit of small Rossby and magnetic Rossby numbers is constructed analytically. These solutions are magnetic modons, steady-moving dipolar vortices, which are generalizations of the well-known quasi-geostrophic modons. It is shown that various configurations of magnetic modons are possible: with or without external magnetic field, and with or without internal magnetic field trapped inside the dipole. By using the modon solutions as initial conditions for direct numerical simulations of the MQG equations, it is shown that they remain coherent for a long time, running over about a hundred deformation radii without change of form, provided the external and internal magnetic fields are not too strong, and even if a small-amplitude noise is added to initial conditions.

The Magnetic Mechanism for Hotspot Reversals in Hot Jupiter Atmospheres

Abstract Magnetically driven hotspot variations (which are tied to atmospheric wind variations) in hot Jupiters are studied using nonlinear numerical simulations of a shallow-water magnetohydrodynamic (SWMHD) system and a linear analysis of equatorial SWMHD waves. In hydrodynamic models, mid-to-high-latitude geostrophic circulations are known to cause a net west-to-east equatorial thermal energy transfer, which drives hotspot offsets eastward. We find that a strong toroidal magnetic field can obstruct these energy transporting circulations. This results in winds aligning with the magnetic field and generates westward Lorentz force accelerations in hotspot regions, ultimately causing westward hotspot offsets. In the subsequent linear analysis we find that this reversal mechanism has an equatorial wave analogy in terms of the planetary-scale equatorial magneto-Rossby waves. We compare our findings to three-dimensional MHD simulations, both quantitatively and qualitatively, identifying the link between the mechanics of magnetically driven hotspot and wind reversals. We use the developed theory to identify physically motivated reversal criteria, which can be used to place constraints on the magnetic fields of ultra-hot Jupiters with observed westward hotspots.

Observational Consequences of Shallow-water Magnetohydrodynamics on Hot Jupiters

Abstract We use results of shallow-water magnetohydrodynamics to place estimates on the minimum magnetic field strengths required to cause atmospheric wind variations (and therefore westward-venturing hotspots) for a data set of hot Jupiters (HJs), including HAT-P-7b, CoRoT-2b, Kepler-76, WASP-12b, and WASP-33b, on which westward hotspots have been observationally inferred. For HAT-P-7b and CoRoT-2b our estimates agree with past results; for Kepler-76b we find that the critical dipolar magnetic field strength, over which the observed wind variations can be explained by magnetism, lies between 4 G and 19 G; for WASP-12b and WASP-33b westward hotspots can be explained by 1 G and 2 G dipolar fields, respectively. Additionally, to guide future observational missions, we identify 61 further HJs that are likely to exhibit magnetically driven atmospheric wind variations and predict these variations are highly likely in ∼40 of the hottest HJs.

On the uniqueness of solutions to hyperbolic systems of conservation laws

For general hyperbolic systems of conservation laws we show that dissipative weak solutions belonging to an appropriate Besov space B q α , ∞ and satisfying a one-sided bound condition are unique within the class of dissipative solutions. The exponent α > 1 / 2 is universal independently of the nature of the nonlinearity and the Besov regularity need only be imposed in space when the system is expressed in appropriate variables. The proof utilises a commutator estimate which allows for an extension of the relative entropy method to the required regularity setting. The systems of elasticity, shallow water magnetohydrodynamics, and isentropic Euler are investigated, recovering recent results for the latter. Moreover, the article explores a triangular system motivated by studies in chromatography and constructs an explicit solution which fails to be Lipschitz, yet satisfies the conditions of the presented uniqueness result.

High-order accurate entropy stable finite difference schemes for the shallow water magnetohydrodynamics

This paper develops the high-order accurate entropy stable (ES) finite difference schemes for the shallow water magnetohydrodynamic (SWMHD) equations. They are built on the numerical approximation of the modified SWMHD equations with the Janhunen source term. First, the second-order accurate well-balanced semi-discrete entropy conservative (EC) schemes are constructed, satisfying the entropy identity for the given convex entropy function and preserving the steady states of the lake at rest (with zero magnetic field). The key is to match both discretizations for the fluxes and the non-flat river bed bottom and Janhunen source terms, and to find the affordable EC fluxes of the second-order EC schemes. Next, by using the second-order EC schemes as building block, high-order accurate well-balanced semi-discrete EC schemes are proposed. Then, the high-order accurate well-balanced semi-discrete ES schemes are derived by adding a suitable dissipation term to the EC scheme with the WENO reconstruction of the scaled entropy variables in order to suppress the numerical oscillations of the EC schemes. After that, the semi-discrete schemes are integrated in time by using the high-order strong stability preserving explicit Runge-Kutta schemes to obtain the fully-discrete high-order well-balanced schemes. The ES property of the Lax-Friedrichs flux is also proved and then the positivity-preserving ES schemes are studied by using the positivity-preserving flux limiters. Finally, extensive numerical tests are conducted to validate the accuracy, the well-balanced, ES and positivity-preserving properties, and the ability to capture discontinuities of our schemes.

Structural stability of shock waves and current-vortex sheets in shallow water magnetohydrodynamics

We study the structural stability of shock waves and current-vortex sheets in shallow water magnetohydrodynamics (SMHD) in the sense of the local-in-time existence and uniqueness of discontinuous solutions satisfying corresponding jump conditions. The equations of SMHD form a symmetric hyperbolic system which is formally analogous to the system of 2D compressible elastodynamics for particular nonphysical deformations. Using this analogy and the recent results in [Morando A., Trakhinin Y., Trebeschi P. Math. Ann. (2019), https://doi.org/10.1007/s00208-019-01920-6] for shock waves in 2D compressible elastodynamics, we prove that shock waves in SMHD are structurally stable if and only if the fluid height increases across the shock front. For current-vortex sheets the fluid height is continuous whereas the tangential components of the velocity and the magnetic field may have a jump. Applying a so-called secondary symmetrization of the symmetric system of SMHD equations, we find a condition sufficient for the structural stability of current-vortex sheets.

Shallow Water Magnetohydrodynamics in Plasma Astrophysics. Waves, Turbulence, and Zonal Flows

The purpose of plasma astrophysics is the study and description of the flow of rotating plasma in order to understand the evolution of various objects in the universe, from stars and planetary systems to galaxies and galaxy clusters. A number of new applications and observations have appeared in recent years and actualized the problem of studying large-scale magnetohydrodynamic flows, such as a thin layer under the convective zone of the sun (solar tachocline), propagation of accreting matter in neutron stars, accretion disks in astrophysics, dynamics of neutron star atmospheres, and magnetoactive atmospheres of exoplanets tidally locked with their host star. The article aims to discuss a fundamental problem in the description and study of multiscale astrophysical plasma flows by studying its general properties characterizing different objects in the universe. We are dealing with the development of geophysical hydrodynamic ideas concerning substantial differences in plasma flow behavior due to the presence of magnetic fields and stratification. We discuss shallow water magnetohydrodynamic equations (one-layer and two-layer models) and two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic equations as a basis for studying large-scale flows in plasma astrophysics. We discuss the novel set of equations in the external magnetic field. The following topics will be addressed: Linear theory of magneto-Rossby waves, three-wave interactions and related parametric instabilities, zonal flows, and turbulence.

Dissipative measure-valued solutions for general conservation laws

In the last years measure-valued solutions started to be considered as a relevant notion of solutions if they satisfy the so-called measure-valued – strong uniqueness principle. This means that they coincide with a strong solution emanating from the same initial data if this strong solution exists. This property has been examined for many systems of mathematical physics, including incompressible and compressible Euler system, compressible Navier-Stokes system et al. and there are also some results concerning general hyperbolic systems. Our goal is to provide a unified framework for general systems, that would cover the most interesting cases of systems, and most importantly, we give examples of equations, for which the aspect of measure-valued – strong uniqueness has not been considered before, like incompressible magnetohydrodynamics and shallow water magnetohydrodynamics.

The Higher-Order CESE Method for Two-dimensional Shallow Water Magnetohydrodynamics Equations

The numerical solution of two-dimensional shallow water magnetohydrodynamics model is obtained using the $4^{th}$-order conservation element solution element method (CESE). The method is based on unified treatment of spatial and temporal dimensions contrary to the finite difference and finite volume methods. The higher-order CESE scheme is constructed using same definitions of conservation and solution elements that are used for $2^{nd}$-order CESE scheme formulation. Hence it is more convenient to increase accuracy of CESE methods as compared to the finite difference and finite volume methods. Moreover the scheme is developed using the conservative formulation and do not require change in the source term for treating the degenerate hyperbolic nature of shallow water magnetohydrodynamics system due to divergence constraint. The spatial and temporal derivatives have been obtained by incorporating $4^{th}$-order Taylor expansion and the projection method is used to handle the divergence constraint. The accuracy and robustness of the extended method is tested by performing a benchmark numerical test taken from the literature. Numerical experiment revealed the accuracy and computational efficiency of the scheme.

Shallow-water Magnetohydrodynamics for Westward Hotspots on Hot Jupiters

Abstract Westward winds have now been inferred for two hot Jupiters (HJs): HAT-P-7b and CoRoT-2b. Such observations could be the result of a number of physical phenomena such as cloud asymmetries, asynchronous rotation, or magnetic fields. For the hotter HJs magnetic fields are an obvious candidate, though the actual mechanism remains poorly understood. Here we show that a strong toroidal magnetic field causes the planetary-scale equatorial magneto-Kelvin wave to structurally shear as it travels, resulting in westward tilting eddies, which drive a reversal of the equatorial winds from their eastward hydrodynamic counterparts. Using our simplified model we estimate that the equatorial winds of HAT-P-7b would reverse for a planetary dipole field strength , a result that is consistent with three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations and lies below typical surface dipole estimates of inflated HJs. The same analysis suggests the minimum dipole field strength required to reverse the winds of CoRoT-2b is , which considerably exceeds estimates of the maximum surface dipole strength for HJs. We hence conclude that our magnetic wave-driven mechanism provides an explanation for wind reversals on HAT-P-7b; however, other physical phenomena provide more plausible explanations for wind reversals on CoRoT-2b.

Solitary waves in shallow water hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics in rotating spherical coordinates

In a recent paper (London, Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dyn. 2017, vol. 111, pp. 115–130, referred to as L1), we considered a perfect electrically conducting rotating fluid in the presence of an ambient toroidal magnetic field, governed by the shallow water magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations in a modified equatorial -plane approximation. In conjunction with a WKB type approximation, we used a multiple scale asymptotic scheme, previously developed by Boyd (J. Phys. Oceanogr. 1980, vol. 10, pp. 1699–1717) for equatorial solitary hydrodynamic waves, and found solitary MHD waves. In this paper, as in L1, we apply a WKB type approximation in order to extend the results of L1 from the modified -plane to the full spherical geometry. We have included differential rotation in the analysis in order to make the results more relevant to the solar case. In addition, we consider the case of hydrodynamic waves on the rotating sphere in the presence of a differential rotation intended to roughly model the varying large scale currents in the oceans and atmosphere. In the hydrodynamic case, we find the usual equatorial solitary waves as found by Boyd, as well as waves in bands away from the equator for sufficiently strong currents. In the MHD case, we find basically the same equatorial waves found in L1. L1 also found non-equatorial modes; no such modes are found in the full spherical geometry.

Solitary waves in shallow water magnetohydrodynamics

We consider a perfect electrically conducting rotating fluid in the presence of an ambient toroidal magnetic field, governed by the shallow water magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations in a modified equatorial beta plane approximation. Using a multiple scale asymptotic technique, previously developed by Boyd (1980) for equatorial solitary hydrodynamic waves, we look for solitary MHD waves. In the case of a weak ambient magnetic field, the leading order equations governing the poleward velocities can be solved using associated Legendre functions. These functions are multiplied by an amplitude function of slow length and time variables. They are solved for at second order via a compatibility condition and have the form of equatorial Rossby solitary waves. When the ambient magnetic field is moderately strong, the equations governing the poleward velocities cannot be solved using special functions. Instead, we are able to apply a WKB type approximation to solve this problem using a large parameter, , which arises naturally in the governing equations. The solution has the form of an equatorial magneto-Rossby solitary wave. When the ambient magnetic field is very strong, the solutions are bounded away from the equator in the form of magnetostrophic solitary waves. The possible relationship between all of these waves and solar phenomena such as the solar cycle, sunspots and active longitudes is discussed.

A space–time CESE scheme for shallow water magnetohydrodynamics equations with variable bottom topography

The dynamics of thin layer incompressible and electrically conducting fluids is described by shallow water magnetohydrodynamics equations (SWMHD), for which the evolution is nearly two dimensional and the magnetic equilibrium lies in the third direction. In this article, a space–time conservation element and solution element (CESE) scheme is extended for numerical investigation of one- and two-dimension shallow water magnetohydrodynamics (SWMHD) with variable bottom topography. The presence of non-conservative terms and the inclusion of variable bottom topography on the right hand side of SWMHD equations poses some major challenges for any numerical scheme. The proposed CESE scheme differs from the previous techniques because of global and local flux conservation in a space–time domain without restoring to interpolation and extrapolation. To check the validity of the scheme, a number of test problems are considered. The results are also compared with the already existing results in the literature by central-upwind scheme.

Parametric instabilities in shallow water magnetohydrodynamics of astrophysical plasma in external magnetic field

This article deals with magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows of a thin rotating layer of astrophysical plasma in external magnetic field. We use the shallow water approximation to describe thin rotating plasma layer with a free surface in a vertical external magnetic field. The MHD shallow water equations with external vertical magnetic field are revised by supplementing them with the equations that are consequences of the magnetic field divergence-free conditions and reveal the existence of third component of the magnetic field in such approximation providing its relation with the horizontal magnetic field. It is shown that the presence of a vertical magnetic field significantly changes the dynamics of the wave processes in astrophysical plasma compared to the neutral fluid and plasma layer in a toroidal magnetic field. The equations for the nonlinear wave packets interactions are derived using the asymptotic multiscale method. The equations for three magneto-Poincare waves interactions, for three magnetostrophic waves interactions, for the interactions of two magneto-Poincare waves and for one magnetostrophic wave and two magnetostrophic wave and one magneto-Poincare wave interactions are obtained. The existence of parametric decay and parametric amplifications is predicted. We found following four types of parametric decay instabilities: magneto-Poincare wave decays into two magneto-Poincare waves, magnetostrophic wave decays into two magnetostrophic waves, magneto-Poincare wave decays into one magneto-Poincare wave and one magnetostrophic wave, magnetostrophic wave decays into one magnetostrophic wave and one magneto-Poincare wave. Following mechanisms of parametric amplifications are found: parametric amplification of magneto-Poincare waves, parametric amplification of magnetostrophic waves, magneto-Poincare wave amplification in magnetostrophic wave presence and magnetostrophic wave amplification in magneto-Poincare wave presence. The instabilities growth rates are obtained respectively.