Electron drift effects on magnetic islands

Electron drift effects on magnetic islands in a hot-electron plasma are stu died. The slab approximation is used. The electron temperature gradient is neglected. The authors analyze the properties of the electrostatic potentia l profile function and the density profile function in the presence of the electron drift effects and the problem of regularization of these profile f unctions near the island separatrix. It is emphasized that the electron dri ft frequency depends on the island magnetic flux and, as a result of this d ependence, the resonant interaction of magnetic islands with the electron d rift waves is possible. It is shown that, allowing for the finiteness of th e "effective" ion Larmor radius rho (s) (the ion sound radius), the polariz ation current effect proves to be dependent on the electron drift effects. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.