https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2003-00279-y
On the scattering of sound by a magnetic field in a MHD fluid
1
Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, École Normale
Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231, Paris Cedex 05, France
2
Centro para la Investigación Interdisciplinaria Avanzada en
Ciencias de Materiales (CIMAT), and Departamento de Física, Facultad de
Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Av. Blanco
Encalada 2008, Santiago, Chile
Received:
1
May
2003
Published online:
15
October
2003
We investigate the effect of a localized magnetic field on the propagation of sound in an infinite fluid described by the magnetohydrodynamic equations (MHD). An externally imposed magnetic field will scatter an acoustic wave, and the scattered wave is related to the spatial structure of the magnetic field. Measuring it is thus a non-intrusive probe for the magnetic field. Simple examples likely to be encountered in practice are worked out, and estimates are given that suggest the practical feasability of this diagnostic tool in current MHD experiments.
PACS: 42.25.Fx – Diffraction and scattering / 47.65.+a – Magnetohydrodynamics and electrohydrodynamics / 52.35.Dm – Sound waves
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2003
