Further results from a model for a thin field-aligned electron beam in a plasma

A spread in parallel beam velocity is found to have little effect on the previous results from the model by Dungey and Strangeway (1976). However, examination of the eigenfunctions for the same model indicates that perpendicular temperature may be the key to beam stability.     

Instability of a thin photoevaporable circumstellar envelope

We investigate the stability of a dense neutral shell that is accelerated outward by the hot-gas pressure and that loses its mass through photoionization by radiation from the central star. We assume the H I shell to be thin and use the Lagrangian coordinates to describe its motion. We show that a flow accompanied by cumulative effects emerges during the nonlinear development of the instability. We estimate the influence of the radiative cooling rate on the motion and determine parameters of the gas in the cumulative region. The results obtained are compared with the observations of the nebulae NGC 7293 and NGC 2392.     

The existence of stationary ion-acoustic double layers in a plasma with an electron beam

The stationary ion-acoustic double layer is investigated in a plasma with an electron beam. The condition of the existence sensitively depends on the parameters such as the electron beam temperature, the ion temperature, the beam density and the effect of the trapped electrons. The properties of the double layer are also depicted. It turns out that the electron beam velocity is relatively small. This investigation predicts new findings of the ion-acoustic double layers in a plasma with an electron beam.     

Instability of a gravitating partially-ionized plasma

The effect of Hall currents and collision with neutrals on the instability of a horizontal layer of a self-gravitating partially-ionized plasma of varying density have been studied. It is assumed that the plasma is permeated by a variable horizontal magnetic field stratified vertically. A variational principle is shown to characterize the problem. By making use of the existence of the variational principle, proper solutions have been obtained for a semi-infinite plasma in which density has a one-dimensional (exponential) vertical stratification. The dispersion relation has been derived and solved numerically. It is found that the collisions with neutrals have a stabilizing influence while Hall currents have a destabilizing influence.     

Rädler effect in a collisionless plasma and field-aligned currents in the magnetotail

The mean electromotive force perpendicular to the mean current (Rädler effect) by random hydromagnetic waves in a collisionless plasma is derived. The results are applied to the field-aligned currents in the Earth's magnetotail. It is shown that the Rädler-effect electric field is large enough to give the observed value of the field-aligned currents and can be identified as a possible source for the field-aligned currents.     

Rocket-borne and groundbased observations of coincident field-aligned currents,electron beams,and plasma density enhancements in the afternoon auroral oval

Results are reported from a rocket experiment conducted at Søndre Strømfjord, Greenland, on 22 August 1976, at 16.00 M.L.T. A series of plasma, particles, and fields and wave experiments were carried on board the payload, and the venture was supported by data from the AE-C satellite and by groundbased ionosondes and magnetometers at the launch site and at Godhavn. Two regions of field-aligned electron precipitation, electron density and temperature enhancements, and field-aligned upflowing current sheets were intercepted by the rocket. The density enhancements were also observed by groundbased ionosondes. Significant discrepancies were found between the currents carried by the streaming electrons in the 0.15–10 keV range and the upflowing currents seen by the on board magnetometer, suggesting that the upflowing current could not be the primary driver of the electron acceleration mechanism. The E-region was unstable to the combined Gradient-Drift and Farley-Buneman instability, and plasma turbulence was observed in situ, but the absolute density fluctuations were too small to return detectable HF-radar power to the ground.     

Analytical treatment of the force acting on a relativistic electron beam spreading in dense gas plasma by the ohmic plasma channel

A method is described for the analytical evaluation of the force acting on a relativistic electron beam spreading in dense gas plasma by the ohmic plasma channel. This is useful for the solution of the general definitions for the force of the beam plasma interactions in the case of an arbitrary displacement of the symmetry axis of the plasma channel relative to the corresponding axis of the beam. The accuracy of these procedures is tested and their efficiency illustrated with practical applications, including the computation of the tracking force exerting on a relativistic electron beam by the ohmic plasma channel.     

Non-stationary pair plasma in a pulsar magnetosphere and the two-stream Instability

We test a new emission mechanism in pulsar magnetospheres, eventually responsible in part for the high level of observed radio radiation. This is carried out by comparing the efficiency of the two-stream instability of Langmuir waves in a pulsar emission region, where the stationary and non-stationary characters of pair plasma outflows produced in the gap region are characterized by two different time-scales. On the shorter time-scale, the Ruderman &38; Sutherland 'sparking' phenomenon leads to the creation of pair plasma clouds, in motion along magnetic field lines, that contain particles with a large spectrum of momenta. The overlapping of particles with different energies produced in successive clouds results in an efficient 'two stream'-like instability. This effect is a consequence of the non-stationary character of the pair plasma produced in the gap region, just above the magnetic poles of the neutron star. On a long time-scale, resulting pair plasma outflows in pulsar magnetospheres can be treated as stationary. In this case, the instability which results from interaction between existing primary beam particles and the pair plasma is negligible, whereas the instability owing to interaction between electrons and positrons of the pair plasma itself, and more precisely to their relative drift motion along curved magnetic field lines, is effective. We derive characteristic features of the triggered instability, using specific distribution functions to describe either particles in the assembly of clouds or relative drifting of electrons and positrons in these same plasma clouds. Although linear and local, our treatment suggests that non-stationary effects may compete with, or even dominate over, drifting effects in parts of pulsar emission regions.     

Thin electron beam propagation in plasmas

The propagation of dense electron beams and the interaction with the ambient plasmas are studied by using two-dimensional electrostatic simulations. When the width of the beam is of the order of electron gyro-radius, the beam electrons move across the magnetic field lines and the beam-plasma interaction becomes prominent with the reduced beam density. When the width of the beam is of the order of ion gyro-radius, the propagation of beam electrons is possible only with the formation of the ion channel. However, since the time scale of the ionic motion is much longer than that of the electronic motion, most of the beam electrons return back to the original beam injection region     

Gyrosynchrotron instability in a plasma with a beam of moderately relativistic electrons

The possibility of gyrosynchrotron instability development in a plasma with moderately relativistic electrons is revealed. The absorption and emission coefficients are numerically calculated for a Gaussian distribution function of these electrons. It shows the presence of emission bands where the absorption coefficientµ is negative, and their dependence on the halfwidth,v, of the Gaussian as well as on the observation angle is established. In conclusion, results obtained are applied for the interpretation of microwave bursts registered during solar flares.     

Frequency shift of space-charge waves in a relativistic electron or positron beam

Nonlinear frequency shift of space-charge waves in a relativistic electron or positron beam is analyzed. The frequency shift is shown to be a function of the wave amplitude. It is suggested that the frequency shift of beam space-charge waves may be a saturation mechanism for astrophysical free-electron lasers.     

Evidences of a distorted electron energy distribution in ionospheric plasma

The energy distribution of thermal electrons in the ionospheric plasma was measured by means of a glass-sealed Langmuir probe. Second derivatives of the v-i curves were obtained electrically by using the second harmonic method. The height of the measurement was from 103 to 360 km.Above 130 km the energy distribution of thermal electrons were Maxwellian enough to evaluate electron temperature. Below 130 km the electrons appeared to consist of two groups of electrons of different temperatures. Because of the bi-Maxwellian energy distribution, the apparent electron temperature obtained from the above method differed from that of an electron temperature probe.     

Closure of field-aligned currents in the ionosphere

The ionospheric currentsj closing the field-aligned currents (FACs) flow mostly along the auroral oval and connect dawn and dusk sides of the oval. The currentj has a significant component directed across the auroral oval in the immediate vicinity of the interface between the two regions of Iijima and Potemra (1976) only. The value ofj is larger poleward of the interface than equatorward of the interface.     

Arbitrary amplitude electron acoustic waves in a magnetized nonextensive plasma

Arbitrary amplitude electron acoustic (EA) solitary waves in a magnetized nonextensive plasma comprising of cool fluid electrons, hot nonextensive electrons, and immobile ions are investigated. The linear dispersion properties of EA waves are discussed. We find that the electron nonextensivity reduces the phase velocities of both modes in the linear regime: similarly the nonextensive electron population leads to decrease of the EA wave frequency. The Sagdeev pseudopotential analysis shows that an energy-like equation describes the nonlinear evolution of EA solitary waves in the present model. The effects of the obliqueness, electron nonextensivity, hot electron temperature, and electron population are incorporated in the study of the existence domain of solitary waves and the soliton characteristics. It is shown that the boundary values of the permitted Mach number decreases with the nonextensive electron population, as well as with the electron nonextensivity index, q. It is also found that an increase in the electron nonextensivity index results in an increase of the soliton amplitude. A comparison with the Vikong Satellite observations in the dayside auroral zone is also taken into account.     

Relativistic electron plasma waves

It is shown that relativistic electron plasma waves can propagate as quasi-stationary nonlinear waves as well as solitary pulses.     

The propagation of a dense quasi-neutral ion beam across a magnetized plasma

Propagation of a quasi-neutral narrow ion beam across a magnetised cold plasma is investigated in slab geometry. This problem is of interest in connection with artificial beam injection experiments and with naturally appearing plasma injections into magnetic fields as astrophysical jets. Several different cases are discussed briefly where the beam is assumed either slow or fast. For fast beams it is shown that they propagate due to generation of a polarisation electric field even in the case of presence of a background plasma. Slow beams can depolarise by currents flowing into the beam along the field lines and providing the required electrons for charge neutralisation. Some implications of the model are discussed in the context of recent active beam injection experiments into space plasma.     

Ion-acoustic rogue waves in a plasma with a q-nonextensive electron velocity distribution

Ion-acoustic rogue waves (IARWs) are addressed in a two-component plasma with a q-nonextensive electron velocity distribution. A weakly nonlinear analysis is carried out to derive a Korteweg-de Vries (K-dV) equation with a particular emphasis on its application to the IARWs. This K-dV equation is transformed to a nonlinear Schr?dinger equation, provided that the frequency of the carrier wave is much smaller than the ion plasma frequency. Interestingly, it is found that the IARWs may be drastically affected by electron nonextensivity depending on whether the entropic index q is positive or negative. In view of the crucial importance of RWs in space environments, our results should be useful in understanding the basic features of the nonextensive IARGs that may occur in space plasmas.     

Nonplanar shocks in a warm electronegative plasma with electron nonextensivity effects

By employing the reductive perturbation technique, nonlinear cylindrical and spherical Korteweg–de Vries Burgers (KdVB) equation is derived for ion acoustic shock waves in an unmagnetized electronegative plasma. The latter is composed of warm positive and warm negative ions as well as q-distributed nonextensive electrons. Numerically, the modified KdVB equation is solved to examine the impact of nonthermal electrons on the profiles of nonplanar fast ion acoustic shocks. With the help of experimental parameters, it is found that the variations of different quantities, like q (nonextensive parameter), α (the negative-to-positive ion mass ratio), μ (the electron-to-positive ion density ratio) and θ _i (the positive ion-to-electron temperature ratio), η _i0,n0 (the positive/negative ion viscosities) significantly modify the propagation characteristics of nonplanar shocks in electronegative plasmas. The relevance to a laboratory experiment is highlighted, where positive and negative ions are present.