Resistive Ballooning Modes in Three-Dimensional Configurations

Resistive ballooning modes in general three-dimensional configurations are studied on the basis of the equations of motion of resistive MHD. Assuming small, constant resistivity and perturbations localized transversally to the magnetic field, a stability criterion is derived in the form of a coupled system of two second-order differential equations. This criterion contains several limiting cases, in particular the ideal ballooning mode criterion and criteria for the stability of symmetric systems. Assuming small growth rates, analytical results are derived by multiple-length-scale expansion techniques. Instabilities are found, their growth rates scaling as fractional powers of the resistivity