Inertial magnetohydrodynamics

M Lingam (1) , Philip Morrison (1) , E Tassi (2, 3)

1 IFS - Institute for Fusion Studies
2 CPT - Centre de Physique Théorique - UMR 7332
3 CPT - Ex E8 Dynamique non linéaire

A version of extended magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) that incorporates electron inertia is obtained by constructing an action principle. Unlike MHD which freezes in magnetic flux, the present theory freezes in an alternative flux related to the electron canonical momentum. The associated Hamiltonian formulation is derived and reduced models that have previously been used to describe collisionless reconnection are obtained.

Domaines: Physique des plasmas [physics.plasm-ph]

M Lingam, Philip Morrison, E Tassi. Inertial magnetohydrodynamics. Physics Letters A, 2015, 379, pp.570 - 576. ⟨10.1016/j.physleta.2014.12.008⟩. ⟨hal-01104544⟩