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Renormalized Compton scattering and nonlinear damping of collisionless drift waves

Journal Article · · Phys. Fluids; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.863046· OSTI ID:5583319
A kinetic theory for the nonlinear damping of collisionless drift waves in a shear-free magnetic field is presented. The general formalism is a renormalized version of induced scattering on the ions and reduces correctly to weak turbulence theory. The approximation studied explicitly reduces to Compton scattering, systematizes and corrects the earlier calculations of Dupree and Tetreault (Phys. Fluids 21, 425 (1978)), and extends that theory to finite ion gyroradius. Certain conclusions differ significantly from those of Dupree and Tetreault. In particular, at long wavelengths the nonlinear ion growth rate is large and positive, proportional to k/sup 2//sub perpendicular/D both at zero and at finite gyroradius. (Here, k/sub perpendicular/ is the perpendicular wavenumber and D is the test particle diffusion coefficient.) Nevertheless, the rate of change of total mean kinetic energy due to the nonlinear interaction is small and proportional to q/sup 2//sub parallel/, where q/sub parallel/ is a typical parallel wavenumber.
Research Organization:
Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-02-3073
OSTI ID:
5583319
Journal Information:
Phys. Fluids; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Fluids; (United States) Vol. 23:4; ISSN PFLDA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English