Toroidal magnetic field ($B_{\varphi }$)

A toroidal magnetic field points in the azimuthal direction around a chosen symmetry axis. Its curved field lines exert inward magnetic tension $-B_{\varphi }^2/({\mu }_{0}R)$ in cylindrical geometry.

In axisymmetric ideal magnetohydrodynamics, $\Omega =u_{\varphi }/R$ is the material angular velocity. Cylindrical basis-vector derivatives and mass conservation give the displayed winding equation. Thus $B_{\varphi }/(\rho R)$ is an advected scalar only when ${\mathbf{B}}_p\cdot \nabla \Omega =0$. Differential rotation along a field line otherwise produces toroidal field. This does not violate magnetic flux freezing, which concerns flux through a material surface rather than a cylindrical vector component.

An axial uniform magnetic field and localized radial differential rotation generate a steady toroidal magnetic field. The angular factor $\sin \theta \cos \theta$ is an eigenfunction of the toroidal angular diffusion operator with eigenvalue $-6$. Its radial amplitude satisfies $\eta (f^{\prime \prime }+2f^{\prime }/r-6f/r^2)=-B_{0}r{\Omega }^{\prime }$. Differentiating the integral in the title proves the formula. It is regular at the origin and decays at infinity when $\Omega$ is finite at zero and decays sufficiently rapidly.

With a fixed axial seed field and prescribed localized differential rotation, the winding source is time independent. Early induction gives $B_{\varphi }\sim B_0\Omega t$, while the steady balance has $B_{\varphi }\sim B_0\Omega {\ell }^2/\eta$. Their comparison gives the magnetic diffusion time, not merely the rotation period. It diverges as conductivity becomes infinite. In an unbounded domain, this is a local equilibration estimate on scale $\ell$, not finite-time exact convergence everywhere. Lorentz force feedback may invalidate the prescribed-flow approximation sooner.

For constant-density cylindrical rotation $r\Omega (r){\mathbf{e}}_{\varphi }$ and a purely toroidal magnetic field, an axisymmetric radial displacement gives $b_{\varphi }=(B_{\varphi }/r-B_{\varphi }^{\prime }){\xi }_r$. Combining its curvature force with conservation of angular momentum gives the restoring coefficient $\mathcal{D}$ above. A local incompressible radial-vertical mode has ${\omega }^2=(k_z^2/k^2)\mathcal{D}$. Positive $\mathcal{D}$ gives stability in this ideal interchange setting; negative $\mathcal{D}$ permits growth. This is distinct from weak-field magnetorotational instability: a steeply increasing toroidal field can release current energy even without differential rotation.

For $B_{\varphi }\propto r^p$, constant density and Keplerian ${\kappa }^2={\Omega }^2$, the Michael criterion for axisymmetric toroidal-field interchange becomes ${\Omega }^2-2(p-1)v_A^2/r^2$. Instability therefore requires $p>1$ and $v_A^2>r^2{\Omega }^2/[2(p-1)]$. For a field varying on the radial scale $r$, this is an orbital-speed field, much stronger than a gas-pressure-scale field with $v_A\lesssim c_s\sim H\Omega$ in a thin disk. Steep radial field gradients require the exact derivative criterion rather than this scale estimate. The instability is powered by the toroidal field distribution and is distinct from weak vertical-field magnetorotational instability.

// Target: fluid-mechanics.bigb

For rigid walls $a<r<b$, a nonzero vertical wavenumber $k$ and radial Lagrangian fluid displacement $\xi$, set $y=r\xi$ and $\mathcal{D}={\kappa }^2-r(d/dr)(v_A^2/r^2)$. Axisymmetric modes satisfyThe operator on the left is a positive self-adjoint operator. Its Rayleigh quotient is ${\omega }^2=k^2\int \mathcal{D}|y{|}^2/rdr/\int (|y^{\prime }{|}^2+k^2|y{|}^2)/rdr$. All mode squares are real; a growing mode exists exactly when the continuous coefficient $\mathcal{D}$ is negative somewhere. Sufficiency follows by a test function supported in that negative interval and the compact operator and self-adjoint operator eigenproblem obtained by conjugating the multiplication operator with the inverse square root of the positive differential operator.

// Target: astrophysical-fluid-dynamics.bigb

For constant-density incompressible ideal magnetohydrodynamics about $\mathbf{B}=Jr{\mathbf{e}}_{\varphi }$, the cylindrical basis contributions make the linearized Lorentz force equal to $imJ\mathbf{b}+2J{\mathbf{e}}_z\times \mathbf{b}$, apart from a magnetic pressure gradient. The induction equation reduces to $i\omega \mathbf{b}=imJ\mathbf{u}$. Taking the curl after eliminating velocity gives the displayed relation, with $\tilde{J}=J/\sqrt{{\mu }_0\rho }$. A second curl gives a vector Helmholtz equation and squared frequencies ${\omega }^2={\tilde{J}}^2[m^2\pm 2|mk|/({\alpha }^2+k^2{)}^{1/2}]$. The lower $|m|=1$ branch grows when $3k^2>{\alpha }^2$.

The displayed solenoidal vector field has $\nabla \times \mathbf{b}=k\mathbf{b}$, ${\nabla }^2\mathbf{b}=-k^2\mathbf{b}$ and ${\mathbf{e}}_z\times \mathbf{b}=-i\mathbf{b}$. Thus the non-gradient part of its linearized Lorentz force about $\mathbf{B}=Jr{\mathbf{e}}_{\varphi }$ vanishes. Choosing $p_1=-\mathbf{B}\cdot \mathbf{b}/{\mu }_0$ cancels the magnetic-pressure gradient, and $\mathbf{u}=0$, $\omega =0$ is a neutral perturbation. It is regular at the axis and realizes the endpoint $m=2$, $\alpha =0$. A boundary condition can exclude this growing-in-radius field, but without such a condition strict positivity at the endpoint cannot be asserted.