POSSIBLE MECHANISM FOR EQUILIBRIUM OF PROMINENCES - ELECTROMAGNETIC EXPLOSION

A body in a conducting fluid in electric and magnetic fields is subjec ted to an electromagnetic expulsion force that is different from Parke r's well-known magnetic buoyancy force. This force can be determined f or large magnetic Reynolds numbers, which are important for astrophysi cal applications, by means of dimensional analysis and some exact solu tions of the magnetohydrodynamic problem. Electromagnetic expulsion ca n effectively balance gravity in solar prominences and generate fast v ortex flows near them. The possibilities of observing electromagnetic expulsion are discussed.