Steady-state vortex structure in a plasma with a strong magnetic field

Abstract

A study is made of nonquasineutral vortex structures in a plasma with a magnetic field Bz in which the charges separate on a spatial scale equal to the magnetic Debye radius rB=Bz/4πene. The electric field arising due to charge separation leads to radial expansion of the ions, thereby destroying the initial electron vortex. It is shown that the ion pressure gradient stops ion expansion in a nonquasineutral electron vortex and gives rise to a steady structure with a characteristic scale on the order of rB. With the electron inertia taken into account in the hydrodynamic approximation, the magnetic vortex structure in a hot plas mamanifests itself in the appearance of a “hole” in the plasma density.