Plasma vortices and chaos in velocity gradient driven electromagnetic fluctuations

A set of coupled nonlinear differential equations governing the dynamics of low-frequency electromagnetic waves in the presence of equilibrium sheared how for inhomogeneous collisional magnetized plasma has been derived. In the linear limit of a uniform density plasma, it is shown that equilibrium sheared plasma flows can cause an instability of resistive Alfven-like waves. Furthermore, a quasi-stationary solution of the mode coupling equations can be represented in the form of localized vortex structures. On the other hand, the temporal behavior of the mode coupling equations is governed by six coupled equations, which are a generalization of the Lorenz-Stenflo equations and which admit chaotic trajectories.