Buneman instability in a magnetized current-carrying plasma with velocity shear

Journal Article · Sun May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3590879· OSTI ID:21537791

Che, H; Goldman, M V; Newman, D L ^[1]

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1. Center of Integrated Plasma Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0390 (United States)

Buneman instability is often driven in magnetic reconnection. Understanding how velocity shear in the beams driving the Buneman instability affects the growth and saturation of waves is relevant to turbulence, heating, and diffusion in magnetic reconnection. Using a Mathieu-equation analysis for weak cosine velocity shear together with Vlasov simulations, the effects of shear on the kinetic Buneman instability are studied in a plasma consisting of strongly magnetized electrons and cold unmagnetized ions. In the linearly unstable phase, shear enhances the coupling between oblique waves and the sheared electron beam, resulting in a wider range of unstable eigenmodes with common lower growth rates. The wave couplings generate new features of the electric fields in space, which can persist into the nonlinear phase when electron holes form. Lower hybrid instabilities simultaneously occur at k/k{sub perpendicular{approx}{radical}}(m{sub e}/m{sub i}) with a much lower growth rate and are not affected by the velocity shear.

• OSTI ID: 21537791
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 18, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3590879; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BOLTZMANN-VLASOV EQUATION
ELECTRON BEAMS
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MATHIEU EQUATION
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA SIMULATION
SHEAR
VELOCITY
BEAMS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
INSTABILITY
LEPTON BEAMS
MECHANICS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PARTICLE BEAMS
SIMULATION