Purely growing thermal instability of an electromagnetic wave in a collisional plasma

Journal Article · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983 · Phys. Fluids; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.864401· OSTI ID:6040020

Sharma, A K; Tripathi, V K

A high-amplitude electromagnetic wave propagating through a collisional plasma heats the electrons to a temperature higher than that of the heavy particles. This state is, however, shown to be unstable to a purely growing temperature perturbation with k perpendicular k/sub 0/; k and k/sub 0/ being the wave vectors of the perturbation and the pump. The temperature perturbation modulates the local electron resistivity and generates two sidebands. The sidebands couple with the pump to heat the electrons and hence to enhance the temperature perturbation. The growth rate of the instability in a strongly ionized plasma is of the order of ..nu../sub 0/ ..omega../sub p/..cap alpha../sup 1/2/m/sup 1/4//2..omega../sub 0/(1+..cap alpha..) m/sup 1/4//sub i/, where ..cap alpha..approx. =v/sup 2//sub 0//3c/sup 2//sub s/ is a nonlinearity parameter, v/sub 0/ and c/sub s/ are the electron oscillatory and ion thermal velocities, ..nu../sub 0/ and ..omega../sub p/ are the electron collision and plasma frequencies, ..omega../sub 0/ is the frequency of the pump, and m and m/sub i/ are the electron and ion mass.

• Research Organization: Laboratory for Plasma and Fusion Energy Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
• OSTI ID: 6040020
• Journal Information: Phys. Fluids; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Fluids; (United States) Vol. 26:8; ISSN PFLDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700101 -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Confinement
Heating
& Production
700107* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Instabilities
AMPLITUDES
COLLISIONAL PLASMA
COUPLING
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
HEATING
INSTABILITY
INSTABILITY GROWTH RATES
MODULATION
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PARAMETRIC INSTABILITIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
RADIATIONS
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
WAVE PROPAGATION