A trilinear method for finding null points in a 3D vector space
arXiv:0706.0521 · doi:10.1063/1.2756751
Abstract
Null points are important locations in vector fields, such as a magnetic field. A new technique (a trilinear method for finding null points) is presented for finding null points over a large grid of points, such as those derived from a numerical experiment. The method was designed so that the null points found would agree with any fieldlines traced using the commonly used trilinear interpolation. It is split into three parts: reduction, analysis and positioning, which, when combined, provide an efficient means of locating null points to a user-defined sub-grid accuracy. We compare the results of the trilinear method with that of a method based on the Poincare index, and discuss the accuracy and limitations of both methods.
12 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physics of Plasmas
References in corpus (4)
- In situ evidence for the structure of the magnetic null in a 3D reconnection event in the Earth's magnetotail
- Current sheet formation and non-ideal behaviour at three-dimensional magnetic null points
- MHD mode coupling in the neighbourhood of a 2D null point
- MHD Wave Propagation in the Neighbourhood of Two Null Points