The effects of nonthermal electron distributions on ion-temperature-gradient driven drift-wave instabilities in electron-ion plasma

Journal Article · Wed Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 2012 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4742990· OSTI ID:22086002

Batool, Nazia ^[1]; Masood, W ^[2]; Mirza, Arshad M ^[1]

---

1. Theoretical Plasma Physics Group, Department of Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320 (Pakistan)
2. National Center of Physics (NCP), Quaid-i-Azam University campus, Islamabad (Pakistan)

The effects of nonthermal electron distributions on electrostatic ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) driven drift-wave instabilities in the presence of equilibrium density, temperature, and magnetic field gradients are investigated here. By using Braginskii's transport equations for ions and Cairns as well as Kappa distribution for electrons, the coupled mode equations are derived. The modified ITG driven modes are derived, and it is found both analytically as well as numerically that the nonthermal distribution of electrons significantly modify the real frequencies as well as the growth rate of the ITG driven drift wave instability. The growth rate of ion-temperature-gradient driven instability is found to be maximum for Cairns, intermediate for Kappa, and minimum for the Maxwellian distributed electron case. The results of present investigation might be helpful to understand several wave phenomena in space and laboratory plasmas in the presence of nonthermal electrons.

• OSTI ID: 22086002
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 19; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ANALYTIC FUNCTIONS
BOLTZMANN STATISTICS
ELECTRONS
ION TEMPERATURE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
PLASMA
PLASMA DRIFT
PLASMA INSTABILITY
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
TRANSPORT THEORY
WAVE PROPAGATION