Definition
The magnetic field of a protostellar disk is a field that permeates the rotating disk of gas and dust about a protostar from which planets may form. Magnetic field lines rotate with the ionized component of the disk material and are subject to an instability that is the likely source of turbulence and viscous drag within a disk. This makes possible the inward accretion of mass from a disk onto its central protostar. It has also been suggested that magnetic forces are responsible for the observed ejection of high-velocity bipolar outflows from protostellar disks.
Overview
Interstellar and Planetary Magnetic Fields
Electrical currents flowing in conductors produce magnetic fields (“B fields”). Conductors in the cosmos include the metallic cores present in some planets and asteroids as well as the ionized gases, called plasmas, which pervade star- and planet-forming regions of interstellar space. Thus, Earth’s B field is attributed to currents in its iron-rich core. However,...
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References and Further Reading
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Roberge, W.G., Ciolek, G.E. (2015). Magnetic Fields and Planetary Systems Formation. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_986
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_986
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