Nonlinear penetration of whistler pulses into collisional plasmas via conductivity modifications

Journal Article · Mon Sep 30 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Physical Review Letters; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.67.1867· OSTI ID:5241986

Urrutia, J M; Stenzel, R L ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, University of California, Los Angeles (California 90024-154705)

A strong electromagnetic impulse ({Delta}{ital t}{congruent}0.2 {mu}s) with central frequency in the whistler-wave regime is applied to a large laboratory plasma dominated by Coulomb collisions ({nu}{sub {ital e}{ital i}}{congruent}{omega}{much lt}{omega}{sub {ital c}{ital e}}{much lt}{omega}{sub {ital p}{ital e}}). Local electron heating at the antenna and transport along {ital B}{sub 0} create a channel of high conductivity along which the whistler pulse penetrates with little damping. Because of its rapid temporal evolution, this new form of modulational instability does not involve ducting by density gradients which require ion time scales to develop.

• OSTI ID: 5241986
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters; (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review Letters; (United States) Vol. 67:14; ISSN PRLTA; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700108* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Wave Phenomena
ANTENNAS
COLLISIONAL PLASMA
COULOMB FIELD
DAMPING
DATA
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INFORMATION
MODIFICATIONS
NOISE
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
NUMERICAL DATA
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA
PULSES
RADIATIONS
RADIO NOISE
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
RESOLUTION
TIME RESOLUTION
TIMING PROPERTIES
WAVE PROPAGATION
WHISTLERS