Ambipolar diffusion in the magnetorotational instability

The effects of ambipolar diffusion on the linear stability of weakly ionized accretion discs are examined. Earlier work on this topic has focused on axial magnetic fields and perturbation wavenumbers. We consider here more general field and wavenumber geometries, and find that qualitatively new results are obtained. Provided a radial wavenumber and azimuthal field are present along with their axial counterparts, ambipolar diffusion will always be destabilizing, with unstable local modes appearing at well-defined wavenumber bands. The wavenumber corresponding to the maximum growth rate need not, in general, lie along the vertical axis. Growth rates become small relative to the local angular velocity when the ion-neutral collision time exceeds the orbital time. In common with Hall electromotive forces, ambipolar diffusion destabilizes both positive and negative angular velocity gradients. In at least some cases, therefore, uniformly rotating molecular cloud cores may reflect the marginally stable state of the ambipolar magnetorotational instability.