N. N. Erokhin

Nonaxisymmetric magnetorotational instability in ideal and viscous plasmas

The excitation of magnetorotational instability (MRI) in rotating laboratory plasmas is investigated. In contrast to astrophysical plasmas, in which gravitation plays an important role, in laboratory plasmas it can be neglected and the plasma rotation is equilibrated by the pressure gradient. The analysis is restricted to the simple model of a magnetic confinement configuration with cylindrical symmetry, in which nonaxisymmetric perturbations are investigated using the local approximation. Starting from the simplest case of an ideal plasma, the corresponding dispersion relations are derived for more complicated models including the physical effects of parallel and perpendicular viscosities. The Friemann–Rotenberg approach used for ideal plasmas is generalized for the viscous model and an analytical expression for the instability boundary is obtained. It is shown that, in addition to the standard effect of radial derivative of the rotation frequency (the Velikhov effect), which can be destabilizing or stab...

Axisymmetric Magnetorotational Instability in Ideal and Viscous Laboratory Plasmas

The original analysis of the axisymmetric magnetorotational instability (MRI) by Velikhov (Sov. Phys. JETP 9, 995 (1959)) and Chandrasekhar (Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 46, 253 (1960)), applied to the ideally conducting magnetized medium in the laboratory conditions and restricted to the incompressible approximation, is extended by allowing for the compressibility. Thereby, two additional driving mechanisms of MRI are revealed in addition to the standard drive due to the negative medium rotation frequency gradient (the Velikhov effect). One is due to the squared medium pressure gradient and another is a combined effect of the pressure and density gradients. For laboratory applications, the expression for the MRI boundary with all the above driving mechanisms and the stabilizing magnetoacoustic effect is derived. The effects of parallel and perpendicular viscosities on the MRI in the laboratory plasma are investigated. It is shown that, for strong viscosity, there is a family of MRI driven for the same condition as the ideal one. It is also revealed that the presence of strong viscosity leads to additional family of instabilities called the viscosity-driven MRI. Then the parallel-viscositydriven MRI looks as an overstability (oscillatory instability) possessing both the growth rate and the real part of oscillation frequency, while the perpendicular-viscosity MRI is the aperiodical instability.

Dust-induced instability in a rotating plasma

The effect of immobile dust on stability of a magnetized rotating plasma is analyzed. In the presence of dust, a term containing an electric field appears in the one-fluid equation of plasma motion. This electric field leads to an instability of the magnetized rotating plasma called the dust-induced rotational instability (DRI). The DRI is related to the charge imbalance between plasma ions and electrons introduced by the presence of charged dust. In contrast to the well-known magnetorotational instability requiring the decreasing radial profile of the plasma rotation frequency, the DRI can appear for an increasing rotation frequency profile.

Generation of magnetoacoustic zonal flows by Alfven waves in a rotating plasma

Analytical theory of nonlinear generation of magnetoacoustic zonal flows in a rotating plasma is developed. As the primary modes causing such a generation, a totality of the Alfven waves are considered, along with the kinetic, inertial, and rotational. It is shown that in all these cases of the Alfven waves the generation is possible if the double plasma rotation frequency exceeds the zonal flow frequency.

Magnetorotational instabilities in a dusty plasma

The charged dust effect on stability of a magnetized rotating plasma is analysed using approximation of immobile dust. In the presence of the dust, a term with the electric field appears in the one-fluid equation of plasma motion. This electric field affects the equilibrium plasma rotation and also gives rise to a family of instabilities of the rotating plasma called dust-induced rotational instabilities (DRIs). The DRIs are related to the charge imbalance between the plasma ions and electrons because of the charged dust. In contrast to the well-known magnetorotational instability driven by the radially decreasing plasma rotation frequency, the DRI can appear for an arbitrary rotation frequency profile. A mathematical technique for the analysis of the magnetorotational phenomena is presented. It is based on the one-fluid magnetohydrodynamic approach developed for a pure plasma and generalized to include the immobile dust effects. The mode equation and local dispersion relation are derived in terms of the canonical parameters.

Nonlocal magnetorotational instability

An analytical theory of the nonlocal magnetorotational instability (MRI) is developed for the simplest astrophysical plasma model. It is assumed that the rotation frequency profile has a steplike character, so that there are two regions in which it has constant different values, separated by a narrow transition layer. The surface wave approach is employed to investigate the MRI in this configuration. It is shown that the main regularities of the nonlocal MRI are similar to those of the local instability and that driving the nonaxisymmetric MRI is less effective than the axisymmetric one, also for the case of the nonlocal instability. The existence of nonlocal instabilities in nonmagnetized plasma is predicted.

Contributions to the theory of magnetorotational instability and waves in a rotating plasma

The one-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory of magnetorotational instability (MRI) in an ideal plasma is presented. The theory predicts the possibility of MRI for arbitrary β, where β is the ratio of the plasma pressure to the magnetic field pressure. The kinetic theory of MRI in a collisionless plasma is developed. It is demonstrated that as in the ideal MHD, MRI can occur in such a plasma for arbitrary β. The mechanism of MRI is discussed; it is shown that the instability appears because of a perturbed parallel electric field. The electrodynamic description of MRI is formulated under the assumption that the dispersion relation is expressed in terms of the permittivity tensor; general properties of this tensor are analyzed. It is shown to be separated into the nonrotational and rotational parts. With this in mind, the first step for incorporation of MRI into the general theory of plasma instabilities is taken. The rotation effects on Alfvén waves are considered.

Effect of pressure anisotropy on magnetorotational instability

It is shown that two new instabilities of hybrid type can occur in a rotating magnetized plasma with anisotropic pressure, i.e., the rotational firehose instability and the rotational mirror instability. In the case of β∥ > β⊥, where β∥ and β⊥ are the ratios of the parallel and perpendicular plasma pressure to the magnetic field pressure, the pressure anisotropy tends to suppress both new instabilities; in the case β⊥ > β∥, it leads to their strengthening. In the latter case, the perturbations considered can be unstable even if the Velikhov instability criterion is not satisfied.

Ideal internal kink modes in a differentially rotating cylindrical plasma

The Velikhov effect leading to magnetorotational instability (MRI) is incorporated into the theory of ideal internal kink modes in a differentially rotating cylindrical plasma column. It is shown that this effect can play a stabilizing role for suitably organized plasma rotation profiles, leading to suppression of MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) instabilities in magnetic confinement systems. The role of this effect in the problem of the Suydam and the m = 1 internal kink modes is elucidated, where m is the poloidal mode number.

Magnetic instabilities in collisionless astrophysical rotating plasma with anisotropic pressure

A technique is developed for analytical study of instabilities in collisionless astrophysical rotating plasma with anisotropic pressure that may lead to magnetic turbulence. Description is based on a pair of equations for perturbations of the radial magnetic field and the sum of magnetic field and perpendicular plasma pressures. From these equations, a canonical second-order differential equation for the perturbed radial magnetic field is derived and, subsequently, the dispersion relation for local perturbations. The paper predicts two varieties of hybrid instabilities due to the effects of differential plasma rotation and pressure anisotropy: The rotational-firehose and rotational-mirror ones. When the gravitation force is weak compared with the perpendicular pressure gradient, a new family of instabilities (the pressure-gradient-driven) is revealed.