Numerical solution of the MHD plasma equilibrium equation

The solution of the plasma equilibrium equation was the subject of past interest both as a necessary prerequisite for the study of plasma stability, and in itself for the maximization of certain desirable equilibrium properties. Most previous work has neglected an obvious consequence of the nonlinearity of the problem, namely bifurcation of the solutions. Bifurcation is the possibility of the existence of more than one or no solutions at all to the problem. A simple estimate of solution multiplicity and a method for obtaining them are given.