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Magnetic Field Amplification and Polar Jet Formation in Protostars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2017

S. Hinata*
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Auburn University, USA

Extract

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There is a simple relationship among moment of inertia I, rotational kinetic energy K, and momentum L given by (David Layzer, private communication), 2IK ≧ L. During the Hayashi phase a rotating protostar will amplify the trapped magnetic field by a dynamo-like process. Since the rotation is expected to be fast, many unstable modes will be excited and will grow exponentially in time until some nonlinear processes saturate the amplitude. However, it may happen that the reduction in rotational kinetic energy becomes so large that without increasing the moment of inertia the inequality given above may not be satisfied. The only way to increase the moment of inertia is to move the mass outward. This can be done by transferring the angular momentum outward through the magnetic field. So we will have a fast rotating mass shell at the outer edge of the star. Further transfer of angular momentum will push the shell against the accretion disk; the moving masses of the disk will divert the mass flow along the background magnetic field which extends perpendicular to the accretion disk. This results in the hollow cone jets from both poles because the outward motion is primarily on the equatorial plane.

Type
I. Star Forming Processes in the Solar Neighborhood
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1987