Relativistically intense plane electromagnetic waves in electron-positron plasmas: Nonlinear self-modulation and harmonics generation regimes

Journal Article · Wed Nov 15 04:00:00 EST 2006 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2370695· OSTI ID:20860364

Shiryaev, O B ^[1]

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1. Department of Coherent and Nonlinear Optics, General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, 38 Vavilov Street, Box 117942, Moscow (Russian Federation)

A fully nonlinear one-dimensional problem describing the interactions of relativistically intense plane electromagnetic waves and cold locally non-neutral electron-positron plasmas is derived from Maxwell and fluid dynamics equations. Numerical and asymptotic solutions to this problem for phase velocities close to the speed of light are presented. Depending on the magnitude of the plasma longitudinal electric-field potential, the system considered is found to support two distinct regimes of plane electromagnetic wave propagation: a nonlinear self-modulation one with the coupling of a fast transversely polarized electromagnetic field to a slow longitudinal plasma field, and a harmonics generation one with both of these fields oscillating with comparable frequencies. In the former case, a splitting of the electromagnetic field spectrum into a series of closely located bands occurs, whereas in the latter one the propagating field spectrum is a set of radiation harmonics.

• OSTI ID: 20860364
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 13; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ASYMPTOTIC SOLUTIONS
COUPLING
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
ELECTRONS
FLUID MECHANICS
HARMONIC GENERATION
HARMONICS
MAXWELL EQUATIONS
MODULATION
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
PHASE VELOCITY
PLASMA WAVES
POSITRONS
POTENTIALS
RELATIVISTIC PLASMA