# Shercliff layers in strongly magnetic cylindrical Taylor-Couette flow

## TL;DR

This study numerically investigates Shercliff layers in magnetized Taylor-Couette flow, revealing how boundary conditions and magnetic field configurations influence shear layer formation and flow behavior.

## Contribution

It introduces new numerical results on Shercliff layers in cylindrical geometry, including effects of boundary conductivity and azimuthal magnetic fields, with novel configurations lacking spherical analogs.

## Key findings

- Shercliff layers form on specific field lines depending on boundary conditions.
- Flow suppression occurs with conducting boundaries under azimuthal fields.
- Flow enhancement occurs with insulating boundaries under azimuthal fields.

## Abstract

We numerically compute axisymmetric Taylor-Couette flow in the presence of axially periodic magnetic fields, with Hartmann numbers up to $Ha^2=10^7$. The geometry of the field singles out special field lines on which Shercliff layers form. These are simple shear layers for insulating boundaries, versus super-rotating or counter-rotating layers for conducting boundaries. Some field configurations have previously studied spherical analogs, but fundamentally new configurations also exist, having no spherical analogs. Finally, we explore the influence of azimuthal fields $B_\phi\sim r^{-1}{\bf\hat e}_\phi$ on these layers, and show that the flow is suppressed for conducting boundaries but enhanced for insulating boundaries.