Instability conditions and maximum growth rate of aperiodic instabilities
- Zentrum fuer Astronomie und Astrophysik, Technische Universitaet Berlin, Hardenbergstrasse 36, D-10623 Berlin (Germany)
Three linear kinetic plasma instabilities are investigated for a counterstreaming Maxwellian distribution function with anisotropic temperatures such that aperiodic modes are generated. Concentration is focused on the instability condition, which is characterized by the marginally positive growth rate, and on the maximum growth rate and the associated fastest growing wavenumber. It is demonstrated that the simultaneous numerical solution of the dispersion relation and its derivative facilitates parameter studies for quantities such as the temperature anisotropy, thermal and streaming velocities, and the background magnetic field strength. Similarities and differences in the behavior of the three aperiodic modes are exemplified and implications for applications such as numerical simulations are illustrated.
- OSTI ID:
- 21532154
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 18, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3534822; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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