Interchange & Flute Instabilities
A magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instability where high-pressure plasma and low-density magnetic fields interchange spatial positions in regions of unfavorable magnetic curvature.
Governing formula
Bad Curvature Condition: (∇P) · (∇B) > 0
SI unit
MHD Flute Mode Instability
In depth
Analogous to Rayleigh-Taylor fluid instability (dense fluid above light fluid). In regions where magnetic field lines curve convex toward the plasma ('bad curvature'), pressure gradients drive flute-like perturbations that burst outward.
Examples in the real world
Stabilizing magnetic mirror confinement devices using minimum-B quadrupole Yanga magnetic fields.