Hydromagnetic Stability
We have introduced the notion of confinement of plasma by the force density: 
. But the real process of force application in experiment involves force generation and initiation, which is unsteady. There is then the related question of stability of an equilibrium in response to time-dependent perturbations. A system is stable if the forces acting tend to restore equilibrium. A system is unstable if the forces acting tend to take the system away from equilibrium. There are two types of instabilities: (1) macroscopic, which are hydromagnetic and involve physical displacement of the boundary; and, as we discussed above ...
. But the real process of force application in experiment involves force generation and initiation, which is unsteady. There is then the related question of stability of an equilibrium in response to time-dependent perturbations. A system is stable if the forces acting tend to restore equilibrium. A system is unstable if the forces acting tend to take the system away from equilibrium. There are two types of instabilities: (1) macroscopic, which are hydromagnetic and involve physical displacement of the boundary; and, as we discussed above ...Get Introduction to Plasmas and Plasma Dynamics now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
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