title: Rotating instability in low-temperature magnetized plasmas.
abstract: The formation of a rotating instability associated with an ionization front ("rotating spoke") and driven by a cross-field current in a cylindrical magnetized plasma is shown and explained for the first time on the basis of a fully kinetic simulation. The rotating spoke is a strong double layer (electrostatic sheath) moving towards the higher potential region at a velocity close to the critical ionization velocity, a concept proposed by Alfvén in the context of the formation of the solar system. The mechanisms of cross-field electron transport induced by this instability are analyzed.
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, INPT; LAPLACE (Laboratoire Plasma et Conversion d'Energie), 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France and CNRS, LAPLACE, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Boeuf
authors.forename: Bhaskar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chaudhury