Drift self-alignment of ions in a plasma
Kazantsev S. A. , Petrashen' A. G. , Polezhaeva N. T. , Rebane V. N. , Rebane T. K.
A self-alignment, specifically, a spontaneous quadrupole orientation, of the angular momenta of the electron shells of ions drifting in a plasma has been detected for the first time. This self-alignment stems from the anisotropic nature of collisional relaxation.