Interactions Between Two Magnetized Plasma Pressure Filaments: Drift-Alfvén Modes and Transport
Abstract
A set of experiments on merging dynamics of localized magnetized plasma pressure filaments in close proximity has been carried out in a large linear magnetized plasma device. A two filament configuration is used to determine the separation scale of cross-field interaction. Fluctuation analysis of the ion saturation current confirms the presence of unstable drift-Alfvén modes on each filament which are predominantly driven by the steep electron temperature gradient. When the filaments are separated a distance of approximately five times the size of a single filament or greater, no interaction is observed and the drift-Alfvén modes remain uncoupled. When brought closer together, significantly stronger interaction occurs with transfer of charge and energy, leading to the generation of inter-filament electric fields. This has the effect of rotating the filaments and influencing the merging dynamics. When the filaments are asymmetrically heated, the cooler filament becomes wrapped around the other, and the drift-Alfvén modes become fully coupled in a global mode structure. Transport between the filaments is explained in terms of E x B drift and the local potential wells of the filaments, and drift-Alfvén mode coupling occurs when the filaments are brought within the distance of a collisionless skin depth.
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BibTeX
@misc{simalagrant2026interactions,
title = {{Interactions Between Two Magnetized Plasma Pressure Filaments: Drift-Alfvén Modes and Transport}},
author = {Thomas Simala-Grant and Scott Karbashewski and Richard Sydora and Bart Van Compernolle},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.22627},
eprint = {2609.22627},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.22627},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Interactions Between Two Magnetized Plasma Pressure Filaments: Drift-Alfvén Modes and Transport
AU - Thomas Simala-Grant
AU - Scott Karbashewski
AU - Richard Sydora
AU - Bart Van Compernolle
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.22627
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.22627
AB - A set of experiments on merging dynamics of localized magnetized plasma pressure filaments in close proximity has been carried out in a large linear magnetized plasma device. A two filament configuration is used to determine the separation scale of cross-field interaction. Fluctuation analysis of the ion saturation current confirms the presence of unstable drift-Alfvén modes on each filament which are predominantly driven by the steep electron temperature gradient. When the filaments are separated a distance of approximately five times the size of a single filament or greater, no interaction is observed and the drift-Alfvén modes remain uncoupled. When brought closer together, significantly stronger interaction occurs with transfer of charge and energy, leading to the generation of inter-filament electric fields. This has the effect of rotating the filaments and influencing the merging dynamics. When the filaments are asymmetrically heated, the cooler filament becomes wrapped around the other, and the drift-Alfvén modes become fully coupled in a global mode structure. Transport between the filaments is explained in terms of E x B drift and the local potential wells of the filaments, and drift-Alfvén mode coupling occurs when the filaments are brought within the distance of a collisionless skin depth.
ER -