ViscoResistiveMHD · MHD waves
Resistively damped Alfvén wave
A standing Alfvén wave in a resistive plasma oscillates at the Alfvén frequency while its amplitude decays at the rate η k² / 2. Struphy's nonlinear resistive MHD is run at three resistivities and compared with the exact rate.
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Physical problem
An Alfvén wave that loses its field lines
PDEs solved by model:
Continuity:
Momentum:
Entropy:
Induction:
where the internal energy per unit mass is , and and are artificial viscosity and resistivity coefficients.
Simulation geometry
Domain used in this run
The actual Cuboid geometry reconstructed from this run's metadata. Switch between the 3D view and physical-coordinate slices.
Domain
Cuboid
Mapping
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Parameters
| Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Performance
Profiling
Struphy's built-in scope-profiler instruments every propagator, pusher and solver call — these are the real per-call timings from the run above.
Durations
Gantt (rank 0)
Region statistics
| Region | Count | Avg (s) | Min (s) | Max (s) | Total (s) |
|---|
Complete source
Simulation script
Requires Struphy with compiled kernels and Plotly. Run struphy compile once, then execute python damped-alfven-wave.py.
"""A resistively damped Alfvén wave, with Struphy's ViscoResistiveMHD model.
A transverse velocity mode u_y = U sin(k x) in a plasma with a uniform field B0 along x splits into two Alfvén waves that
run in opposite directions and make a standing wave, oscillating at omega = v_A k with v_A = B0 / sqrt(rho). Finite
resistivity eta lets the field lines slip through the plasma, and the wave amplitude decays as exp(-gamma t) with
gamma = eta k^2 / 2. (Viscosity would add nu k^2 / 2; it is left out because Struphy's viscosity propagator does not run in this
configuration.) A scan over three resistivities compares the decay with the exact rate.
Requires Struphy 3.3 with compiled kernels (`struphy compile`).
"""
import numpy as np
import plotly.graph_objects as go
from struphy import (
DerhamOptions,
EnvironmentOptions,
FieldsBackground,
Simulation,
Time,
domains,
equils,
grids,
perturbations,
)
from struphy.linear_algebra.solver import NonlinearSolverParameters
from struphy.models import ViscoResistiveMHD
length = 2 * np.pi
wavenumber = 2 * np.pi / length # one wavelength in the box
b0 = 1.0
alfven_speed = b0 # the density is 1
frequency = alfven_speed * wavenumber
amplitude = 0.05
resistivities = (0.05, 0.1, 0.2) # the scan; the example itself is the eta = 0.1 run
time_opts = Time(dt=0.05, Tend=20.0, split_algo="Strang")
grid = grids.TensorProductGrid(num_elements=(32, 1, 1))
derham_opts = DerhamOptions(degree=(3, 1, 1))
domain = domains.Cuboid(l1=0.0, r1=length, l2=0.0, r2=1.0, l3=0.0, r3=1.0)
equil = equils.HomogenSlab(B0x=b0, n0=1.0, beta=2.0)
class CompatibleNonlinearSolverParameters(NonlinearSolverParameters):
"""Bridge Struphy code paths that use both attribute and mapping access."""
def __getitem__(self, key):
return getattr(self, key)
def make_simulation(eta, folder, **extra):
"""Resistive MHD with resistivity eta, a uniform field along x and a transverse velocity mode."""
model = ViscoResistiveMHD(with_viscosity=False, with_resistivity=True)
model.propagators.variat_dens.options = model.propagators.variat_dens.Options(model="full")
model.propagators.variat_resist.options = model.propagators.variat_resist.Options(
model="full",
eta=eta,
nonlin_solver=CompatibleNonlinearSolverParameters(type="Newton"),
)
# Logical 3-forms include det(DF) = length, giving a physical density 1 and a uniform thermal pressure.
volume = length
model.mhd.density.add_background(FieldsBackground(values=(volume,)))
model.mhd.entropy.add_background(FieldsBackground(values=(0.6 * volume,)))
model.mhd.velocity.add_background(FieldsBackground(values=(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)))
model.em_fields.b_field.add_background(FieldsBackground(values=(b0, 0.0, 0.0)))
model.mhd.velocity.add_perturbation(
perturbations.ModesSin(ls=(1,), amps=(amplitude,), Lx=length, comp=1, given_in_basis="physical")
)
return Simulation(
model=model,
env=EnvironmentOptions(out_folders="struphy_gallery_runs", sim_folder=folder),
time_opts=time_opts,
domain=domain,
equil=equil,
grid=grid,
derham_opts=derham_opts,
**extra,
)
sim = make_simulation(
0.1,
"damped_alfven_wave",
name="Resistively damped Alfvén wave",
description=(
"A standing Alfvén wave in a resistive plasma oscillates at the Alfvén frequency while its amplitude decays "
"at the rate η k² / 2. Struphy's nonlinear resistive MHD is run at three resistivities and compared with "
"the exact rate."
),
)
def velocity_profile(run):
"""Time, position and u_y(t, x) of a post-processed run."""
u_y = run.evaluate("mhd/velocity_xyz").isel(component=1, e2=0, e3=0)
return u_y.t.values, u_y.e1.values * length, u_y.values
def mode_amplitude(x, values):
"""Amplitude of the sin(k x) mode, from the periodic grid points (the last repeats the first)."""
return 2.0 * np.mean(values[:, :-1] * np.sin(wavenumber * x[:-1]), axis=1)
def envelope_peaks(times, values):
"""The times and heights of the local maxima of |values|, which follow the decaying envelope."""
magnitude = np.abs(values)
peaks = np.where((magnitude[1:-1] >= magnitude[:-2]) & (magnitude[1:-1] >= magnitude[2:]))[0] + 1
return times[peaks], magnitude[peaks]
if __name__ == "__main__":
from plotly.subplots import make_subplots
from _gallery import export_profiling, is_root, merge_metadata, save_extra_figure, save_figure
runs = {0.1: sim.run(profiling_activated=True)}
for eta in resistivities:
if eta != 0.1:
runs[eta] = make_simulation(eta, f"damped_alfven_wave_eta{eta}").run()
for run in runs.values():
run.pproc(physical=True)
amplitudes, fitted, measured_frequency = {}, {}, {}
for eta, run in runs.items():
times, x, values = velocity_profile(run)
amplitudes[eta] = mode_amplitude(x, values)
peak_times, peak_values = envelope_peaks(times, amplitudes[eta])
fitted[eta] = float(-np.polyfit(peak_times, np.log(peak_values), 1)[0])
crossings = np.where(np.diff(np.sign(amplitudes[eta])) != 0)[0]
measured_frequency[eta] = float(np.pi / np.mean(np.diff(times[crossings])))
exact_rate = {eta: eta * wavenumber**2 / 2 for eta in runs}
if not all(np.isfinite(list(fitted.values()) + list(measured_frequency.values()))):
raise RuntimeError("A decay rate or frequency could not be fitted")
if is_root():
for eta in runs:
print(f"eta = {eta}: damping rate {fitted[eta]:.4f} (exact {exact_rate[eta]:.4f}), "
f"frequency {measured_frequency[eta]:.4f} (v_A k = {frequency:.4f})")
eta_main = 0.1
run = runs[eta_main]
times, x, values = velocity_profile(run)
gamma = exact_rate[eta_main]
total = np.asarray(run.scalars["en_tot"])
energy_drift = float(np.max(np.abs(total / total[0] - 1.0)))
print(f"Maximum relative drift of the total energy: {energy_drift:.2e}")
def profile_traces(index):
envelope = amplitude * np.exp(-gamma * times[index]) * np.sin(wavenumber * x)
return [
go.Scatter(x=x, y=envelope, mode="lines", name="envelope ± U exp(−γt)", line={"color": "#111", "width": 1.5, "dash": "dash"}),
go.Scatter(x=x, y=-envelope, mode="lines", showlegend=False, line={"color": "#111", "width": 1.5, "dash": "dash"}),
go.Scatter(x=x, y=values[index], mode="lines", name="Struphy", line={"color": "#d62828", "width": 3}),
]
picks = np.unique(np.linspace(0, len(times) - 1, min(100, len(times)), dtype=int))
figure = make_subplots(rows=2, cols=1, vertical_spacing=0.2,
subplot_titles=("Transverse velocity u_y along the field", "Amplitude of the mode"))
for trace in profile_traces(0):
figure.add_trace(trace, row=1, col=1)
figure.add_scatter(x=times, y=amplitudes[eta_main], mode="lines", name="amplitude", showlegend=False,
line={"color": "#d62828", "width": 2}, row=2, col=1)
for sign in (1, -1):
figure.add_scatter(x=times, y=sign * amplitude * np.exp(-gamma * times), mode="lines", showlegend=False,
line={"color": "#111", "width": 1.5, "dash": "dash"}, row=2, col=1)
figure.frames = [go.Frame(name=f"{times[i]:.2f}", data=profile_traces(i), traces=[0, 1, 2]) for i in picks]
figure.update_layout(
title="A resistively damped standing Alfvén wave", template="plotly_white",
margin={"l": 70, "r": 30, "t": 150, "b": 140}, title_y=0.97, legend={"orientation": "h", "y": 1.13},
updatemenus=[{"type": "buttons", "showactive": False, "x": 0, "y": -0.12,
"buttons": [{"label": "Play", "method": "animate", "args": [None, {"frame": {"duration": 60, "redraw": False}, "transition": {"duration": 0}, "fromcurrent": True}]}]}],
sliders=[{"active": 0, "x": 0.12, "len": 0.88, "y": -0.07, "currentvalue": {"prefix": "t = "},
"steps": [{"args": [[frame.name], {"frame": {"duration": 0, "redraw": False}, "transition": {"duration": 0}, "mode": "immediate"}], "label": frame.name, "method": "animate"} for frame in figure.frames]}],
)
figure.update_xaxes(title_text="x", range=[0, length], row=1, col=1)
figure.update_yaxes(title_text="u_y", range=[-1.2 * amplitude, 1.2 * amplitude], row=1, col=1)
figure.update_xaxes(title_text="t", row=2, col=1)
figure.update_yaxes(title_text="amplitude of sin(kx)", row=2, col=1)
save_figure(figure, "damped-alfven-wave", width=900, height=850)
colors = {0.05: "#168aad", 0.1: "#d62828", 0.2: "#f77f00"}
decay = go.Figure()
for eta, amp in amplitudes.items():
peak_times, peak_values = envelope_peaks(times, amp)
decay.add_scatter(x=peak_times, y=peak_values, mode="markers", name=f"η = {eta}: peaks of Struphy",
marker={"color": colors[eta], "size": 9})
decay.add_scatter(x=times, y=amplitude * np.exp(-exact_rate[eta] * times), mode="lines",
name=f"η = {eta}: exp(−η k² t / 2)", line={"color": colors[eta], "width": 1.5, "dash": "dash"})
decay.update_layout(
title="Decay of the wave amplitude", template="plotly_white", autosize=True,
xaxis_title="t", yaxis_title="amplitude of the sin(kx) mode", yaxis_type="log",
margin={"l": 75, "r": 30, "t": 80, "b": 60},
)
figures = [
save_extra_figure(
decay, "damped-alfven-wave", "decay",
alt="Peaks of the amplitude of a damped Alfvén wave at three resistivities, on the exact exponentials",
caption=(
"The successive amplitude peaks of the wave at three resistivities, on log axes where the exact decay "
"exp(−η k² t / 2) is a straight line. The fitted rates differ from η k² / 2 by "
+ ", ".join(f"{100 * (fitted[eta] / exact_rate[eta] - 1):+.1f} % (η = {eta})" for eta in runs)
+ "."
),
),
]
merge_metadata(
"damped-alfven-wave",
wavenumber=wavenumber,
alfvenFrequency=frequency,
dampingRates={str(eta): {"measured": fitted[eta], "exact": exact_rate[eta]} for eta in runs},
measuredFrequencies={str(eta): measured_frequency[eta] for eta in runs},
maxEnergyDrift=energy_drift,
figures=figures,
**export_profiling(sim, "damped-alfven-wave"),
)
See the post-processing guide for more ways to inspect the result.