Abstract
A monopole vortex with a density cavity in its core has been observed in a cylindrical magnetized plasma. It looks like an eye of a typhoon and is called "plasma hole". Velocity field measurement revealed that there exists a radially converging flow and the vorticity distribution is localized in the central hole region. This vorticity localization is identified as a Burgers vortex, which is intrinsic in viscous fluids and has never been observed in a plasma. The effective viscosity of the hole plasma determined by the characteristic scale length of the vorticity localization exhibits an extremely large value compared with the classical one. Potential measurements also revealed that the degree of non-neutrality is three orders of magnitude higher than that without the plasma hole. This result strongly suggests a correlation between the viscosity anomaly and the quasi-neutrality breaking.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 49-53 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Physica Scripta T |
| Volume | T107 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 Dec 1 |
| Event | International Topical Conference on Plasma Physics: Complex Plasmas in the New Millennium - Santorini Island, Greece Duration: 2003 Sep 8 → 2003 Sep 12 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
- Mathematical Physics
- Condensed Matter Physics