CYLINDRICAL IDEAL MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC EQUILIBRIA WITH INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOWS

It is proved that (a) the solutions of the ideal magnetohydrodynamic e quation, which describes the equilibrium states of a cylindrical plasm a with purely poloidal flow and arbitrary cross-sectional shape [G. N. Throumoulopoulos and G. Pantis. Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 38, 18 17 (1996)], are also valid for incompressible equilibrium flows with t he axial velocity component being a fi ee surface quantity and that (b ) for the case of isothermal incompressible equilibria the magnetic su rfaces necessarily have a circular cross-section. (C) 1997 American In stitute of Physics.