Equilibrium and Stability of Partial Toroidal Plasma Discharges
Authors: E. Oz, C. E. Myers, M. Yamada, H. Ji, R. Kulsrud, and J. Xie
Abstract: The equilibrium and stability of partial toroidal flux ropes are studied in detail in the laboratory, motivated by ubiquitous loop structures on the solar surface. The flux ropes studied here are magnetized arc discharges formed in the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX). It is found
that these loops robustly maintain their equilibrium on time scales much longer than the Alfven time over a wide range of plasma current, guide eld strength, and angle between electrodes, even in
the absence of a strapping fi eld. Additionally, the external kink stability of these flux ropes is found to be governed by the Kruskal-Shafranov limit for a
flux rope with line-tied boundary conditions at both ends (q > 1).
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Submitted to: Physical Review Letters (December 2010)
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