Fast magnetic field penetration into low resistivity plasma

Abstract

Penetration of a magnetic field into plasma that is faster than resistive diffusion can be induced by the Hall electric field in a non-uniform plasma. This mechanism explained successfully the measured velocity of the magnetic field penetration into pulsed plasmas. Major related issues have not yet been resolved. Such is the theoretically predicted, but so far not verified experimentally, high magnetic energy dissipation, as well as the correlation between the directions of the density gradient and of the field penetration.