Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Influence of finite ion Larmor radius effects on the ion resonance instability in a nonneutral plasma column

Journal Article · · Phys. Fluids; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.862080· OSTI ID:5296018

The influence of finite ion Larmor radius effects on the ion resonance instability in a nonneutral plasma column aligned parallel to a uniform axial magnetic field B/sub 0/e/sub z/ is investigated. The analysis is carried out within the framework of a hybrid Vlasov-fluid model in which the ions are described by the Vlasov equation and the electrons are described as a macroscopic, cold fluid. Electrostatic stability properties are calculated for the case in which the equilibrium electron and ion density profiles are rectangular and the ion distribution function is specified by f/sup 0//sub i/=const x delta (H/sub perpendiculari-italic/P/sub theta -Ti-italic/) G (v/sub z/). The resulting eigenvalue equation for the perturbed electrostatic potential phi-circumflex/sub l/(r) is solved exactly to give a closed algebraic dispersion relation for the complex eigenfrequency ..omega... This dispersion relation is solved numerically, and it is shown that the growth rate of the ion resonance instability exhibits a sensitive dependence on plasma parameters. For example, finite ion Larmor radius effects can have a strong stabilizing influence for azimuthal mode numbers l> or =2, particularly when the equilibrium self-electric field is sufficiently weak. For the fundamental mode (l=1), however, stability properties are identical to those calculated from a macroscopic two-fluid model, and the growth rate is unaffected by the value of the ion Larmor radius.

Research Organization:
Division of Magnetic Fusion Energy, Energy Research and Development Administration, Washington, D. C. 20545
OSTI ID:
5296018
Journal Information:
Phys. Fluids; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Fluids; (United States) Vol. 21:1; ISSN PFLDA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English