Surface-wave instabilities in a plasma rotating with step-like frequency profile

Abstract

An approach for the theory of nonlocal magnetorotational and convective instabilities in a rotating plasma is developed, on the basis of the surface wave concept, which allows the derivation of useful analytical results.It is assumed that the rotation frequency has a step-like profile, so that a narrow transition layer separates two regions with different rotation frequencies. The one-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model for description of the perturbed plasma dynamics is used. It is shown that in the case of magnetized plasma the main properties of the nonlocal (surface-wave) instabilities are similar to those of the local ones.