Publications Repository - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

One of the most convenient approaches to observe experimentally the magnetorotational instability (MRI) is to use a magnetized Taylor-Couette setup. The flow of liquid metal between two rotating, concentric cylinders can become unstable in the presence of an external magnetic field. One of the issues which should be addressed when designing such an experiment is the influence of plates enclosing the cylinders from the top and the bottom. In this paper we discuss properties of the boundary layer which arises near these plates. Our primary concern is the importance of this layer in the MRI experiment PROMISE.