FINITE LARMOR RADIUS AND HALL-EFFECTS ON THERMOSOLUTAL INSTABILITY OF A PLASMA

The thermosolutal instability of a plasma with finite Larmor radius and Hall effects is studied. When the instability sets in as stationary convection, finite Larmor radius effects are always stabilizing for x(=k2d2/π2 greater than two and for x less than two, they have a stabilizing or destabilizing influence depending on the Larmor radius parameter N in the presence of Hall currents. On the other hand the Hall currents have both stabilizing and destabilizing effects on the thermosolutal instability for x less than two and for x greater than two depending on the Hall parameter M. The stable solute gradient is found to have a stabilizing effect on stationary convection. The case of overstability is also considered wherein the sufficient conditions for the non-existence of overstability are derived. © 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.