DRIFT MOTION OF FIELD-REVERSED-CONFIGURATION PLASMA ACROSS A CURVED MAGNETIC-FIELD

We report the first observation of the behavior of a field-reversed-co nfiguration (FRC) plasma translated into a curved magnetic field B-cur . The FRC shows a unique behavior in B-cur. The plasma splits into two parts: one is a bulk plasma confined in a field-reversed magnetic geo metry, deflecting strongly across B-cur despite beta(E) (the ratio of directed to transverse magnetic-field energy density) much greater tha n 1; the other is probably a peripheral plasma outside the separatrix, propagating rigidly along B-cur. This motion of the FRC may be due to E x B drifting, rather than displacement of the vacuum field by diama gnetic currents.