Electric currents in a hot adiabatic plasma

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Abstract
A large‐scale stationary and collisionless plasma with E × B drifts much smaller than the typical random velocities of particles is considered, using the Chew‐Goldberger‐Low fluid equations. Two mutually dependent but distinguishable currents may develop in the plasma. The magnetic field generated by the currents acquires a geometry in which one current flows in the direction of the binormal to the field lines, while the second current flows perpendicular to the binormal and consists of two inseparable components: magnetic field aligned current and the current flowing in the direction of the principal normal to B. A low‐β plasma immersed in the field of a magnetic dipole is analyzed, assuming the existence of nonzero gradients of the pressure components in the azimuthal direction. Current flowing in the meridional plane is directed almost perpendicular to the field lines near the equatorial plane and is directed mainly along the field lines at the high magnetic latitudes.