Existence and Stability of a Model for Three-Dimensional Toroidal Plasma Equilibria. There is great physical interest in modelling strongly non-axisymmetric toroidal plasmas, but fundamental existence problems have made rigorous numerical analysis so far impossible. We seek to overcome this by investigating a class of idealized, but physically motivated, magnetohydrodynamic equilibria with stepped pressure profiles for which existence in the neighbourhood of axisymmetry has been proven. We will ....Existence and Stability of a Model for Three-Dimensional Toroidal Plasma Equilibria. There is great physical interest in modelling strongly non-axisymmetric toroidal plasmas, but fundamental existence problems have made rigorous numerical analysis so far impossible. We seek to overcome this by investigating a class of idealized, but physically motivated, magnetohydrodynamic equilibria with stepped pressure profiles for which existence in the neighbourhood of axisymmetry has been proven. We will (i) develop numerical techniques to extend these piece-wise Beltrami states far away from axisymmetry (ii) develop practical tests to determine when existence breaks down (iii) analyze the frequency spectrum of small oscillations about such equilibria (iv) extend the model to two-fluid MHD.Read moreRead less
Black Hole Accretion: The Effects of Magnetic Fields and Radiation. This project represents a significant contribution by Australian researchers to one of Science's Big Questions: How do Black Holes channel gravitational energy into radiation at many different energies and into high speed outflows. It offers Australian Astronomy an opportunity to expand its endeavours into the rapidly growing and high profile areas of high-energy and computational astrophysics, injecting new expertise into the i ....Black Hole Accretion: The Effects of Magnetic Fields and Radiation. This project represents a significant contribution by Australian researchers to one of Science's Big Questions: How do Black Holes channel gravitational energy into radiation at many different energies and into high speed outflows. It offers Australian Astronomy an opportunity to expand its endeavours into the rapidly growing and high profile areas of high-energy and computational astrophysics, injecting new expertise into the interpretation of multi-wavelength data on accreting black holes. We will train a new cohort of internationally competitive students and early career researchers, equipping them with the advanced computational and modelling skills that are in increasingly higher demand in many technology-based industries.Read moreRead less