Dependence of relaxed states of magnetohydrodynamic plasmas on resistivity profiles

Functional dependence of relaxed states of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) plasmas on profiles of resistivity η is derived approximately as μ0jparallel≅√(μ0α/2η)B for parallel components to B, by using a general self-organization theory based on dissipative structures due to selective dissipations associated with higher eigenmodes for dissipative dynamic operators. Typical results of three-dimensional simulations for resistive MHD plasmas with both 'nonuniform η' and 'uniform η' are shown to compare with the theoretical result. Comparison between the theoretical and the numerical results suggests that the attractor of dissipative structures in resistive MHD plasmas is given by ∇ x (ηj) = (α/2)B and is reduced to ∇ x B = λB in the case with the 'uniform η' and no pressure gradient. (author)