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Title: A two-dimensional numerical study of ion-acoustic turbulence

Journal Article · · Journal of Plasma Physics

We investigate the linear and nonlinear evolution of the current-driven ion-acoustic instability in a collisionless plasma via two-dimensional (2-D) Vlasov–Poisson numerical simulations. We initialise the system in a stable state and gradually drive it towards instability with an imposed, weak external electric field, thus avoiding physically unrealisable super-critical initial conditions. A comprehensive analysis of the nonlinear evolution of ion-acoustic turbulence (IAT) is presented, including the detailed characteristics of the evolution of the particles’ distribution functions, (2-D) wave spectrum and the resulting anomalous resistivity. Our findings reveal the dominance of 2-D quasi-linear effects around saturation, with nonlinear effects, such as particle trapping and nonlinear frequency shifts, becoming pronounced during the later stages of the system's nonlinear evolution. Remarkably, the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) spectrum is observed immediately after the saturation of the instability. Another crucial and noteworthy result is that no steady saturated nonlinear state is ever reached: strong ion heating suppresses the instability, which implies that the anomalous resistivity associated with IAT is transient and short-lived, challenging earlier theoretical results. Towards the conclusion of the simulation, electron-acoustic waves are triggered by the formation of a double layer and strong modifications to the particle distribution induced by IAT.

Research Organization:
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR). Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-09CH11466; SC0018429; AC02-05CH11231; FG02-91ER54109
OSTI ID:
2326057
Journal Information:
Journal of Plasma Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Plasma Physics Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 90; ISSN 0022-3778
Publisher:
Cambridge University PressCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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