Axisymmetric plasma equilibrium in gravitational and magnetic fields

Abstract

Plasma equilibria in gravitational and open-ended magnetic fields are considered for the case of topologically disconnected regions of the magnetic flux surfaces where plasma occupies just one of these regions. Special dependences of the plasma temperature and density on the magnetic flux are used which allow the solution of the Grad–Shafranov equation in a separable form permitting analytic treatment. It is found that plasma pressure tends to play the dominant role in the setting the shape of magnetic field equilibrium, while a strong gravitational force localizes the plasma density to a thin disc centered at the equatorial plane.