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Decay of trefoil and other magnetic knots
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 June 2011
Abstract
Two setups with interlocked magnetic flux tubes are used to study the evolution of magnetic energy and helicity on magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) systems like plasmas. In one setup the initial helicity is zero while in the other it is finite. To see if it is the actual linking or merely the helicity content that influences the dynamics of the system we also consider a setup with unlinked field lines as well as a field configuration in the shape of a trefoil knot. For helical systems the decay of magnetic energy is slowed down by the helicity which decays slowly. It turns out that it is the helicity content, rather than the actual linking, that is significant for the dynamics.
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- Type
- Contributed Papers
- Information
- Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 6 , Symposium S274: Advances in Plasma Astrophysics , September 2010 , pp. 461 - 463
- Copyright
- Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011
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