Application of the Hydromagnetic Energy Principle to a Plasma Between Electrodes

Abstract

The approach of Van Kampen and Felderhof (1967) is extended to derive the variation of potential energy t5W for a finite magnetized plasma contained by a vacuum magnetic field and in contact with conducting electrodes supported by insulators. The method gives a result in agreement with that of Bernstein et al. (1958) except for modification of the vacuum contribution. It leads to proof that the usual interpretation of the surface contribution to t5W is incorrect because of modification of the vacuum magnetic field energy associated with second-order distortion of the plasma boundary surface.