Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Cusped geometry

(Science: radiobiology) this is a description of a magnetic field configuration where the magnetic field lines, rather than closing in on themselves, tend to squirt out and form cusps at certain points.

The magnetic field lines are everywhere convex towards the centre. Such a geometry is interesting because it is theoretically stable against a variety of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. However, confinement is typically poor because of the open field lines at the cusps.