Stability of toroidal magnetic fields in stellar interiors

Aims. Magnetic fields play an important role during the formation and evolution of stars. Of particular interest in stellar evolution is what effect they have on the transport angular momentum and mixing of chemical elements along the radial direction in radiative regions. Current theories suggest a dynamo loop as the mechanism responsible for maintaining the magnetic field in the radiative zone. This loop consists of differential rotation on one side and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instability − the so-called Tayler instability − on the other. However, how this might work quantitatively is still an unsettled question, largely because we do not yet understand all the properties of the instability in question. In this paper we explore some properties of the Tayler instability.