Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2024/iii/paper-314/4/d/solution

For the homologous spherical flow , the ideal magnetohydrodynamic induction equation and give the material derivative
Let and use the self-similar ansatz
Part (b) gives , and therefore
The radial induction equation becomes . The boundary value gives . The solenoidal vector field condition requires
which also matches the tangential shock value in part (c). Hence the interior field is
Outside the shock, the uniform-field lines obey . Inside, the magnetic-field-line equation gives
so
A sketch therefore shows straight exterior lines refracting at the spherical shock into north-south symmetric curves that bow toward the equatorial interior before leaving through the opposite hemisphere. The field strength falls as toward the centre.

New to topics? Read the docs here!