Formal Derivation and Stability Analysis of Boundary Layer Models in MHD

Abstract

We provide a systematic derivation of boundary layer models in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), through an asymptotic analysis of the incompressible MHD system. We recover classical linear models, related to the famous Hartmann and Shercliff layers, as well as nonlinear ones, that we call magnetic Prandtl models. We perform their linear stability analysis, emphasizing the stabilizing effect of the magnetic field.