Magnetically channelled accretion
= Magnetically channelled accretion
In magnetically channelled accretion, a strong <magnetic field> guides an <accretion flow> along <flux tubes>. The component of the <Lorentz force density> parallel to the <magnetic field> vanishes, so the longitudinal flow can be treated hydrodynamically while the field controls the transverse geometry. A <magnetic dipole field> near a <neutron star> channels matter toward small polar caps.