Nonlinear theory of mirror instability near threshold
E. A. Kuznetsov+*, T. Passot∇, P. L. Sulem∇
+P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute RAS, 119991 Moscow, Russia
*L.D. Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics RAS, 119334 Moscow, Russia
∇CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
PACS: 52.25.Xz, 52.35.Py, 94.05.-a, 94.30.Cj
Abstract
An asymptotic model based on a reductive perturbative expansion of
the drift kinetic and the Maxwell equations is used to demonstrate that,
near the instability threshold, the nonlinear dynamics of mirror modes in a magnetized plasma with anisotropic ion temperatures involves a subcritical bifurcation,
leading to the formation of small-scale structures with
amplitudes comparable with the ambient magnetic field.