Magnetorotational instability in weakly ionised, stratified accretion discs

Abstract

The magnetorotational instability (MRI) (Balbus and Hawley 1991, Hawley and Balbus 1991) transports angular momentum radially outwards in accretion discs through the distortion of the magnetic field lines that connect fluid elements. In protostellar discs, low conductivity is important, especially in the inner regions (Gammie 1996, Wardle 1997). As a result, low k modes are relevant and vertical stratification is a key factor of the analysis. However, most models of the MRI in these environments have adopted either the ambipolar diffusion or resistive approximations and have not simultaneously treated stratification and Hall conductivity. We present here a linear analysis of the MRI, including the Hall effect, in a stratified disc.

6 pages, 3 figures, latex, kluwer.cls. To appear in the proceedings of "Magnetic fields and star formation: Theory versus observations", Madrid, April 21-25 2003