Dependence of electron beam instability growth rates on the beam-plasma system parameters

Journal Article · Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1982 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA087iA02p00833· OSTI ID:5496420

Strangeway, R J

Electron beam instabilites are studied by using a simple model for an electron beam streaming through a cold plasma, the beam being of finite width perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. Through considerations of finite geometry and the coldness of the beam and background plasma, an instability similar to the two stream instability is assumed to be the means for wave growth in the system. Having found the maximum growth rate for one set of beam-plasma system parameters, this maximum growth rate is traced as these parameters are varied. The parameters that describe the system are the beam velocity (v/sub b/), electron gyrofrequency to ambient electron plasma frequency ratio (..cap omega../sub e//..omega../sub p/e), the beam to background number density ratio (n/sub b//n/sub a/), and the beam width (a). When ..cap omega../sub e//..omega../sub p/e>1, a mode with ..cap omega../sub e/<..omega..<..omega../sub u/hr is found to be unstable, where ..cap omega.. is the wave frequency and ..omega../sub u/hr is the upper hybrid resonance frequency. For low values of n/sub b//n/sub a/ and ..cap omega../sub e/<..omega../sub p/e, this mode is still present with ..omega../sub p/e<..omega..<..omega../sub u/hr. If the beam density is large, n/sub b//n/sub a/approx. =1, the instability occures for frequencies just above the electron gyrofrequency. This mode may well be that observed in laboratory plasma before the system undergoes the beam-plasma discharge. There is another instability present, which occurs for ..omega..approx. =..omega../sub p/e. The growth rates for this mode, which are generally larger than those found for the ..omega..approx. =..omega..uhr mode, are only weakly dependent on ..cap omega../sub d//..omega../sub p/e. That this mode is not always observed in the laboratory implies that some factors not considered in the present theory suppress this mode, specifically, finite beam length.

• Research Organization: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado/NOAA, Boulder, Colorado 80309
• OSTI ID: 5496420
• Journal Information: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Vol. 87:A2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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