Analysis of Stability of a Plasma in Porous Medium

Abstract

The thermal convection of a plasma in porous medium is investigated in the presence of finite Larmor radius (FLR) and Hall effects. Following linear stability theory and normal mode analysis method, the dispersion relation is obtained. It is found that the presence of a magnetic field (and hence the presence of FLR and Hall effects) introduces oscillatory modes in the system which were, otherwise, non-existent in their absence. When the instability sets in as stationary convection, the FLR may have a stabilizing or destabilizing effect, but a completely stabilizing one for a certain wave-number range. Similarly, the Hall currents may have a stabilizing or destabilizing effect but a completely stabilizing one for the same wave-number range under certain condition, whereas the medium permeability always has a destabilizing effect for stationary convection. Also it is found that the system is stable for 𝑔𝛼𝜅 𝜈𝛽 ≤ 27𝜋 4 4 and under the condition 𝑔𝛼𝜅 𝜈𝛽 > 27𝜋 4 4 , the system becomes unstable.