Motion of a Compact Toroid inside a Cylindrical Flux Conserver

Abstract

Compact toroids have been generated in a cylindrical resistive flux conserver. They are observed to rotate so that their major axis is perpendicular to the axis of the flux conserver. Subsequently they remain stationary and their magnetic fields decay with a time constant of about 100 \ensuremath{\mu}s. This is the first observation of the predicted tipping mode and its saturation when no external fields are present. The compact toroids contain toroidal fields and are initially prolate in shape.