Nonlinear whistler instability driven by a beamlike distribution of resonant electrons
- Plasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5346 (United States)
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740 (United States)
- Icarus Research Inc., Bethesda, Maryland 20814 (United States)
Theory and simulation are used to study the instability of a coherent whistler parallel-propagating in a simplified model radiation belt with a background of cold electrons, as well as a ring distribution of energetic electrons. A nonlinear instability is initiated at the location z{sub +}, where the electrons are cyclotron resonant with the wave, on the side of the equator (z=0) where the wave is propagating away from the equator. The instability propagates backward toward the equator, growing both spatially and temporally. As the instability develops, frequency falls in such a way as to keep the electrons nearly resonant with the waves over the entire region 0<z<z{sub +}. The instability causes a sharp drop in the pitch angle of the resonant electrons and eventually saturates with peak amplitude near the equator.
- OSTI ID:
- 21347127
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 17, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3298733; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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