Role of symmetry in magnetically confined plasma
In respect of their symmetry properties, toroidal magnetically confined plasmas have much in common with the Taylor-Couette flow. Symmetry-based analysis (equivariant bifurcation theory) has proved very powerful in the analysis of the latter problem. This paper discusses applicability of the method to nuclear fusion experiments such as tokamaks and pinches. Likely behaviour of the simplest models of rotationally symmetric tokamaks is described, and found to be potentially consistent with observation.