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🧲 Magnetohydrodynamics: When Fluids and Magnetic Fields Dance Together

Explore magnetohydrodynamics, the physics of electrically conducting fluids like plasmas and liquid metals moving through magnetic fields, generating currents, forces, and cosmic dynamos.

Physics & Mechanics3DModerate60 FPS🌍 Earth ⚡ Plasma

This simulation visualizes the two-way coupling at the heart of magnetohydrodynamics: a conducting fluid flow interacting with magnetic field lines. You can watch induced currents arise from fluid motion, see the resulting Lorentz force reshape the flow, and observe frozen-in field lines being stretched, twisted, and amplified by turbulent or rotating motion, illustrating the same basic mechanism behind the solar dynamo and Earth's geodynamo.

🔬 What It Demonstrates

🎮 How to Use

Adjust the fluid flow pattern and conductivity to see how strongly the magnetic field lines are dragged along with the motion. Increase rotation or convective driving to observe dynamo-like field amplification, and reduce conductivity to see field lines slip and diffuse through the fluid instead of remaining frozen in. Watch how the visualized Lorentz force feeds back to alter the flow pattern itself.

💡 Did You Know?

Earth's magnetic field has completely reversed polarity hundreds of times over the planet's history, with the most recent full reversal occurring around seven hundred eighty thousand years ago, and the entire process is driven by the same magnetohydrodynamic coupling you can explore in this simulation.

⚙ Under the hood

Explore magnetohydrodynamics, the physics of conducting fluids and magnetic fields that generates the solar dynamo, Earth's geodynamo, and fusion plasma confinement.

magnetohydrodynamicsplasma-physicssolar-dynamogeodynamofusion-energyfrozen-in-fluxphysicsastrophysics

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install