Adiabatic interaction of ion-acoustic and plasma waves

Journal Article · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979 · Sov. J. Plasma Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States)

OSTI ID:5634290

Basovich, A Y; Gromov, E M

The interaction of ion-acoustic waves with weak Langmuir turbulence is studied. It is shown that packets of plasma waves with a group velocity near the ion-acoustic velocity can be reflected and trapped. The ion-acoustic wave is described by a dynamic equation with a ponderomotive force due to the plasma waves. The plasma waves are described by a kinetic equation in the collisionless approximation. The modulation at instability does not occur according to this model. By analogy with the electron motion in the field of a plasma wave in the geometric-optics approximation, the motion of wave packets of plasma waves in the presence of a strong ion-acoustic wave is determined, and the change in the plasma-wave spectrum is found. The most pronounced change in the spectrum occurs in the region of plasma-wave wave numbers which are synchronized with the ion-acoustic wave. For these the change in the characteristics of the ion-acoustic wave caused by the plasma waves is found. The self-consistent problem is thus solved in the adiabatic approximation. The analysis is carried out for periodic and solitary ion-acoustic waves. The approach of this paper is applicable when the characteristic time for a change in the Langmuir turbulence spectrum is much shorter than the characteristic time for a change in the characteristics of the ion-acoustic wave. The range of applicability of this approach is determined. Estimates are made which confirm the geometric-optics and collisionless approximations. An analogy is drawn with nonlinear Landau damping.

• Research Organization: Institute of Applied Physics, Academy of Sciences of USSR, Gor'kii
• OSTI ID: 5634290
• Journal Information: Sov. J. Plasma Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Journal Name: Sov. J. Plasma Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States) Vol. 5:4; ISSN SJPPD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700107* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Instabilities
700108 -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Wave Phenomena
ADIABATIC PROCESSES
FUNCTIONS
INSTABILITY
ION ACOUSTIC WAVES
ION WAVES
PARAMETRIC INSTABILITIES
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
PLASMA WAVES
PLASMONS
QUASI PARTICLES
REFLECTION
SOLITONS
SPECTRAL DENSITY
SPECTRAL FUNCTIONS
TURBULENCE
WAVE PACKETS