TOROIDAL THETA PINCH COLLAPSE BY SNOWPLOW MODEL

Accurate equations for the cross section of the toroidal theta pinched plasma column are derived using the snowplow model, and then are solved numerically to study the shift of the column position and the deformation of the cross section during the collapse. The column shifts towards the outer wall and the shape of the cross section changes from the initial circle into a heart as the collapse proceeds. The shift and the deformation, however, are not serious, if the aspect ratio is larger than 10.