Excitation and Control of the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability in a Plasma with a Curved Magnetic Field

Abstract

The Rayleigh-Taylor instability is generated in a plasma flowing along a curved magnetic field. The instability, which appears only in the bad-curvature region of the magnetic field, is controlled by changing the flow speed and Larmor radius of the ions. A drastic suppression of the instability is observed in the presence of weak magnetic shear.