Journal of Plasma Physics

Table of Contents - 1984 - Volume 32, Issue 02  

Research Article

The spectrum of resistive MHD modes in cylindrical plasmas

C. M. Ryua1 p1 and R. C. Grimma1‡

a1 Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, N.J. 08544

Abstract

A numerical study of the normal modes of a compressible resistive MHD fluid in cylindrical geometry is presented. Resistivity resolves the shear Alfvén and slow magnetosonic continua of ideal MHD into discrete spectra and gives rise to heavily damped modes whose frequencies lie on specific lines in the complex plane. Fast magnetosonic waves are less affected but are also damped. Overstable modes arise from the shear Alfvén spectrum. The stabilizing effect of favourable average curvature is shown. Eigenfunctions illustrating the nature of typical normal modes are displayed.

(Received June 27 1983)

(Revised March 06 1984)

Correspondence:

p1 Present address: Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico.

Footnotes

‡ I much regret having to inform readers of the death on 6 August 1984 of Professor Grimm. His most recent permanent affiliation was with the Australian Atomic Energy Commission. Editor.