General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics

J. H. Sloan and L. L. Smarr, in Numerical Astrophysics, 52-68, ed. J. Centrella, J. LeBlanc, and R. Bowers (Jones and Bartlett: Boston) (1985).

Abstract

Jim Wilson pioneered the use of supercomputers to study magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows near black holes. In this paper, we analyze the differential equations of general relativistic MHD. We use the”3 + l” formalism to recover the physical meaning of each term in the equations. Limits are taken to recover the special relativistic Alfvén equation and the static balance of magnetic and pressure forces. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the anisotropic magnetic inertia. A new form for the equations is found which may simplify future numerical work.

LINK TO BOOK REFERENCE