A toroidal mode driven by ion temperature gradients and magnetic-field curvature

The effect of magnetic-field curvature on the ion-mixing mode is studied in a collisionless-plasma regime. A simple plane model with an external gravity-simulating magnetic curvature is adopted. A dispersion relation which connects the ion-mixing mode to the ubiquitous mode is obtained. It is found that, within the limitations of the present local model, an inhomogeneous plasma can support fluctations with frequencies larger than those expected in an analysis which disregards the effect of magnetic curvature. The instability threshold of this mode, which depends on the ion temperature gradient, is lowered. The effect of gravity on the ion response influences the quasi-linear ion heat transport