Coherent structures in rotating non-neutral plasma

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Physics of Fluids B; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.860853· OSTI ID:6880350

Lund, S M; Ramos, J J ^[1]; Davidson, R C ^[2]

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1. Plasma Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)
2. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States)

Nonaxisymmetric ([partial derivative]/[partial derivative][theta][ne]0) rotating equilibria are investigated theoretically for strongly magnetized, low-density ([omega][sub [ital pe]][sup 2]/[omega][sub [ital ce]][sup 2][much lt]1) pure electron plasmas confined in cylindrical geometry. These two-dimensional equilibria are also called rotating coherent structures, and are stationary (time independent) in a frame of reference rotating with angular velocity [omega][sub [ital r]]=const about the cylinder axis ([ital r]=0). Radial confinement of the pure electron plasma is provided by a uniform axial magnetic field [ital B][sub 0][bold e[ital z]], and a grounded, perfectly conducting, cylindrical wall is located at radius [ital r]=[ital r][sub [ital w]]. The analysis is based on a nonrelativistic, guiding-center model in the cold-fluid limit (the continuity and Poisson equations) that treats the electrons as a massless fluid ([ital m][sub [ital e]][r arrow]0) with [bold E][times][bold B] flow velocity [bold V][sub [ital e]]=[minus]([ital c]/[ital B][sub 0])[del][phi][times][bold e][sub [ital z]]. Within this model, general rotating equilibria with electron density [ital n][sub [ital e]][equivalent to][ital n][sub [ital R]]([ital r],[theta][minus][omega][sub [ital r]]) and electrostatic potential [phi][equivalent to][phi][sub [ital R]]([ital r],[theta][minus][omega][sub [ital r]]) have the property that the electron density is functionally related to the streamfunction [psi][sub [ital R]]=[minus][ital e][phi][sub [ital R]]+[omega][sub [ital r]]([ital eB][sub 0]/2[ital c])[ital r][sup 2] by [ital n][sub [ital R]]=[ital n][sub [ital R]]([psi][sub [ital R]]).

• OSTI ID: 6880350
• Journal Information: Physics of Fluids B; (United States), Journal Name: Physics of Fluids B; (United States) Vol. 5:1; ISSN 0899-8221; ISSN PFBPEI
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700310* -- Plasma Confinement-- (1992-)
CONFIGURATION
CONFINEMENT
CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
GUIDING-CENTER APPROXIMATION
LEPTONS
PLASMA
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
ROTATING PLASMA