Related papers: Pinch dynamics in a low-$\beta$ plasma
Axisymmetric relaxed states of a cylindrical plasma column are found analytically in both standard and Hall magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) by complete minimization of energy with constraints imposed by invariants inherent in corresponding…
We carry out 3D and 2D PIC-simulations of the expansion of a magnetized plasma that initially uniformly fills a half-space and contains a semi-cylindrical region of heated electrons elongated along the surface of the plasma boundary. This…
A novel plasma equilibrium in the high-$\beta$, Hall regime that produces centrally-peaked, high Mach number Couette flow is described. Flow is driven using a weak, uniform magnetic field and large, cross field currents. Large magnetic…
Electron plasmas confined by an external magnetic field exhibit variations in a two-dimensional plane orthogonal to the confining magnetic field. A nonlinear fluid simulation code to investigate the properties of 2-D electron plasma wave…
Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence affects both terrestrial and astrophysical plasmas. The properties of magnetized turbulence must be better understood to more accurately characterize these systems. This work presents ideal MHD simulations of…
We derive a sufficient condition for the linear stability of plasma equilibria with incompressible flow parallel to the magnetic field, $\bf B$, constant mass density and anisotropic pressure such that the quantity $\sigma_d=…
Observations and numerical simulations of laboratory and space plasmas in almost collisionless regimes reveal anisotropic and non-gyrotropic particle distribution functions. We investigate how such states can persist in the presence of a…
Predicting the final state of turbulent plasma relaxation is an important challenge, both in astrophysical plasmas such as the Sun's corona and in controlled thermonuclear fusion. Recent numerical simulations of plasma relaxation with…
Magnetic helicity is a quantity that underpins many theories of magnetic relaxation in electrically conducting fluids, both laminar and turbulent. Although much theoretical effort has been expended on magnetic fields that are everywhere…
A plasma blob is modeled as consisting of two homogeneous spheres of equal radius and equal but opposite charge densities that can move relative to each other. Relative translational and rotational motion are considered separately. Magnetic…
We propose that pressure anisotropy causes weakly collisional turbulent plasmas to self-organize so as to resist changes in magnetic-field strength. We term this effect "magneto-immutability" by analogy with incompressibility (resistance to…
We suggest a new model for the structure of a magnetic field embedded high $\beta$ turbulent plasma, based on the popular notion that the magnetic field will tend to separate into individual flux tubes. We point out that interactions…
In dilute astrophysical plasmas, the collisional mean free path of a particle can exceed its Larmor radius. Under these conditions, the thermal conductivity and viscosity of the plasma can be dramatically altered. This alteration allows…
Magnetization in highly conductive plasmas is ubiquitous to astronomical systems. Flows in such media can be described by three path functions $\Lambda_\alpha$, or, for a steady flow, by two stream functions $\lambda_\kappa$ and an…
We consider a two-dimensional complex plasma layer containing charged dust particles in a perpendicular magnetic field. Computer simulations of both one-component and binary systems are used to explore the equilibrium particle dynamics in…
Attention is drawn to a fundamental difference between the physical mechanisms responsible for the magnetic field freezing-in effect in spatially isotropic (collisional) and strongly anisotropic (collisionless) plasmas. (The first case is…
Intense electromagnetic fields are created in the quark-gluon plasma by the external ultra-relativistic valence charges. The time-evolution and the strength of this field are strongly affected by the electrical conductivity of the plasma.…
Equations describing plasma equilibria are derived from the total energy of the system. The MHD equilibrium is shown to hold even for systems where the magnetic field may locally vanish. Through conservation of helicity, confinement is…
Turbulence in a conducting plasma can amplify seed magnetic fields in what is known as the turbulent, or small-scale, dynamo. The associated growth rate and emergent magnetic-field geometry depend sensitively on the material properties of…
The flow of an electrically conducting fluid in a thin disc under the action of an azimuthal Lorentz force is studied experimentally. At small forcing, the Lorentz force is balanced by either viscosity or inertia, yielding quasi-Keplerian…