The method is developed for a comuputer sequence which models a fast toroidal theta or screw pinch for a highly conducting axially symmetric plasma. The computer sequence takes into account the self-inductances of the plasma and the external conductors which drive the compression as well as the mutual inductance which electromagnetically couples the two. The computer sequence is divided into three phases: a snowplow compression phase, an adiabatic compression phase, and a crowbarred circuit phase. The computer sequence is applied to a topolotron and an example is given of a magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium geometry for which the plasma surface possesses an asymptotic magnetic field with limit cycles.
(c) 1976 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in The Journal of Chemical Physics and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.861391;