Charge Transport and Current Due to Wave-Particle Interactions in Plasmas

Control of charge and current distributions is crucial to confining and controlling plasmas. The current distribution determines the shape of the magnetic field, along which particles are confined to stream. The charge distribution determines the electric field, which in turn determines the flow field perpendicular to the magnetic field. Inhomogeneities in the plasma can be exploited, for example via waves or other sources of energy or momentum, to drive rotation and current. In compressing or expanding plasma, the current might be usefully redistributed.