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A constraint on boundary data for magnetic solenoidality in MHD calculations

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Abstract

Recent numerical calculations of multi-dimensional MHD solutions revealed the problem that the solutions contain fictitious magnetic monopoles. Their amounts are larger than attributable to numerical discretization. We show that the fictitious presence of magnetic monopoles is due to improper prescription of the boundary data. For a solution of an initial-boundary value problem of magnetohydrodynamics to satisfy the requirement of magnetic solenoidality, the initial data must be constrained by Gauss's law of magnetic solenoidality and the boundary data must be constrained by Faraday's law of magnetic induction. These are necessary and sufficient conditions. Otherwise, magnetic monopoles will appear erratically in the domain of computation, either being contained in the initial data or being introduced from the boundary data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.

    Tyan Yeh

  2. Space Environment Laboratory, NOAA Environmental Research Laboratories, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.

    Murray Dryer

Authors
  1. Tyan Yeh
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  2. Murray Dryer
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Yeh, T., Dryer, M. A constraint on boundary data for magnetic solenoidality in MHD calculations. Astrophys Space Sci 117, 165–171 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00660919

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00660919

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