Transverse Wave Instability—Driven by Shear Flow in an Unmagnetized Plasma

Abstract

An unmagnetized collisionless plasma, subjected to shear flow, develops temperature anisotropy which causes unstable magnetic waves to grow. Equations for such a plasma have been numerically integrated in time. It is found that a steady state is approached which has constant phase relations between different spatial components of the magnetic field. Stabilization occurs when the ion gyroradius is equal to the typical wavelength of the magnetic waves. The coefficient of viscosity for this state depends on the local velocity gradient and on the density.