Excitation of kinetic Alfvén waves by fast electron beams
- Purple Mountain Observatory, CAS, Nanjing (China)
- Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, CAS, Urumqi 830011 (China)
Energetic electron beams, which are ubiquitous in a large variety of active phenomena in space and astrophysical plasmas, are one of the most important sources that drive plasma instabilities. In this paper, taking account of the return-current effect of fast electron beams, kinetic Alfvén wave (KAW) instability driven by a fast electron beam is investigated in a finite-β plasma of Q < β < 1 (where β is the kinetic-to-magnetic pressure ratio and Q ≡ m{sub e} /m{sub i} is the mass ratio of electrons to ions). The results show that the kinetic resonant interaction of beam electrons is the driving source for KAW instability, unlike the case driven by a fast ion beam, where both the kinetic resonant interaction of beam ions and the return-current are the driving source for the KAW instability. KAW instability has a nonzero growth rate in the range of the perpendicular wave number, 0
- OSTI ID:
- 22365053
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 793, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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