Study of plasma rotation in the GOL-3 facility

The MHD activity of plasma in the GOL-3 facility was studied experimentally. The complicated azimuthal structure of the profile of the longitudinal current is revealed by magnetic measurements and high-speed imaging. The azimuthal mode composition of magnetic perturbations, as well as the frequency of their rotation in different regimes, is determined. The signs of differential plasma rotation in the facility are described. Possible mechanisms responsible for the relation of differential rotation to current filamentation and magnetic reconnection in the GOL-3 plasma are proposed. These mechanisms explain the previously observed experimental evidences of these processes.