The stability of twisted magnetic fields in a fluid of finite electrical conductivity - II: The hard-core pinch of low conductivity

Abstract

The stability of the hard-core pinch of low conductivity is investigated. A variety of magnetic field configurations is studied in some of which the axial magnetic field reverses its direction inside the plasma column. Perturbation growth rates are obtained for m = 0 and m = 1 perturbations. It is shown that the introduction of low conductivity leads to instability in all cases studied but that systems with reversed axial fields are less unstable than those without field reversal. The possible validity of these results is discussed.