Spheromaks
Author | : Paul Murray Bellan |
Publisher | : World Scientific Publishing Company |
Total Pages | : 341 |
Release | : 2000-01-01 |
ISBN-10 | : 1860941419 |
ISBN-13 | : 9781860941412 |
Rating | : 4/5 (19 Downloads) |
Download or read book Spheromaks written by Paul Murray Bellan and published by World Scientific Publishing Company. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spheromaks are easily formed, self-organized magnetized plasma configurations that have intrigued plasma physicists for over two decades. Sometimes called magnetic vortices, magnetic smoke rings, or plasmoids, spheromaks first attracted attention as a possible controlled thermonuclear plasma confinement scheme, but are now known to have many other applications. This book begins with a review of the basic concepts of magnetohydrodynamics and toroidal magnetic configurations, then provides a detailed exposition of the 3D topological concepts underlying spheromak physics, namely magnetic helicity, Taylor relaxation, force-free equilibria, and tilt stability. It then examines spheromak formation techniques, driven and isolated configurations, dynamo concepts, practical experimental issues, diagnostics, and a number of applications. The book concludes by showing how spheromak ideas are closely related to the physics of solar prominences and interplanetary magnetic clouds.