Observation of magnetocoriolis waves in a liquid metal Taylor-Couette experiment

TL;DR

This paper reports the first laboratory observation of magnetocoriolis waves in a liquid metal Taylor-Couette flow, demonstrating their dependence on magnetic field strength and implications for magnetorotational instability prediction.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental detection of both fast and slow magnetocoriolis waves in a turbulent liquid metal flow, advancing understanding of magnetohydrodynamic wave phenomena.

Findings

Fast and slow MC waves observed in laboratory conditions.

Slow MC wave is damped but detectable.

Results help predict the onset of Magnetorotational Instability.

Abstract

The first observation of fast and slow magnetocoriolis (MC) waves in a laboratory experiment is reported. Rotating nonaxisymmetric modes arising from a magnetized turbulent Taylor-Couette flow of liquid metal are identified as the fast and slow MC waves by the dependence of the rotation frequency on the applied field strength. The observed slow MC wave is damped but the observation provides a means for predicting the onset of the Magnetorotational Instability.