Abstract
A review of the theory of the stability of a low-pressure (p << H2/8π) plasma contained in a magnetic field is given, with regard to the excitation of drift waves due to non-uniformity of the plasma. In the first part are considered drift waves in a low-temperature plasma, when a hydro-dynamic description is justified. It is shown that dissipative effects (in particular, the effect of finite electrical conductivity) play an important part in the stability of the plasma. On the basis of a rigorous linear theory of stability, a semi-quantitative discussion of non-linear effects in an unstable plasma and of anomalous diffusion is presented. It has been possible along these lines to obtain a natural explanation of the phenomenon of Bohm diffusion and of the `critical' value of magnetic field. The results are compared with the available experimental data. In the second part of the paper, drift waves in a high-temperature plasma are considered. An analysis of linear stability theory is presented, using the collisionless Boltzmann equation. A quasi-linear method has been adopted to calculate the influence of drift waves on particle diffusion in an unstable plasma.
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