Applied Maths Seminar: Duignan -- Magnetic fields with no Hamiltonian structure

Nathan Duignan (of this school) will be giving a talk on Wednesday 13th August at 1pm in
Carslaw 451.  Students are welcome.  

Title: Magnetic fields with no Hamiltonian structure 

Abstract: Under appropriate conditions, a magnetic field can be viewed as a
non-autonomous Hamiltonian system.  This fact is a foundational aspect of how we think
about the topology of magnetic field lines.  In particular, the Hamiltonian structure of
magnetic fields has guided the conceptual design of devices for the magnetic confinement
of plasma.  In this talk, we give a classification of magnetic fields that admit a
Hamiltonian structure using the so called monodromy representation.  We explore some
examples of magnetic fields with no Hamiltonian structure.  Of particular interest is
the consequences for the field line topology.  Ultimately, these non-Hamiltonian
magnetic fields open new possibilities for the design of magnetic fields for plasma
confinement.  This is joint work with David Perrella (ICMAT, Madrid) and David Pfefferle
(UWA, Perth).