Title: Kink instability of a finite-conductivity plasma
Abstract:The continuous transition from the kink instability of a current-carrying plasma with a free boundary in a longitudinal magnetic field to the tearing-mode instability is analyzed. In an actual experim...The continuous transition from the kink instability of a current-carrying plasma with a free boundary in a longitudinal magnetic field to the tearing-mode instability is analyzed. In an actual experiment, even with a high temperature at the plasma periphery, the kink instability occurs because of the electron inertia. The growth rate for this instability is lower than that for the case of a free boundary by a factor of only a few units. A dispersion relation is derived which yields the growth rate for the kink instability for plasma properties of practical interest. As the size of the current-carrying channel is increased, the growth rate for the kink instability decreases, and the range of stable values of the safety factor expands.Read More
Publication Year: 1977
Publication Date: 1977-05-01
Language: en
Type: article
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