Magnetic Field Gradient and Curvature-Driven Drift Modes in Toroidal Plasmas

A new kind of instability driven by the magnetic field gradient and curvature (MFGC) in toroidal plasmas is presented. It is found that the MFGC drift modes possess finite growth rates even if the plasma pressure gradient vanishes. In addition, the effects of plasma pressure gradient and safety factor on the MFGC modes have been analysed numerically.