Plasma Beta
The fundamental measure of a magnetic field's effect on a plasma is the
magnetization parameter,
. The fundamental measure of the
inverse effect is called
, and is defined as the ratio
of the thermal energy density,
, to the magnetic energy
density,
. It is conventional to identify the plasma
energy density with the pressure,
![$\displaystyle p \equiv n\,T,$](img144.png) |
(1.34) |
as in an ideal gas, and to define a separate
for each plasma
species. Thus,
![$\displaystyle \beta_s = \frac{2\,\mu_0\,p_s}{B^{2}}.$](img146.png) |
(1.35) |
The total
is written
![$\displaystyle \beta = \sum_s \beta_s.$](img147.png) |
(1.36) |