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NASA NTRS1985

Electromagnetic hot ion beam instabilities - Quasi-linear theory and simulation

This paper considers the quasi-linear theory of the right- and left-hand resonant electromagnetic instabilities driven by a hot ion beam streaming parallel to a magnetic field in a homogeneous Vlasov plasma. Using the single-mode approximation, the time evolutions of important parameters are obtained to show that for the range of parameters considered, reduction of the beam speed and formation of temperature anisotropies are the most significant factors in the quasi-linear stabilization process. Combining both instabilities in a quasi-linear study is found to produce a roughly equal mixture of both polarizations and relatively isotropic conditions for tenuous beam densities and low initial beam drift speeds. Computer simulations are used to compare with the quasi-linear results. The simulations justify the single-mode assumption, verify that quasi-linear changes are the means of saturation for the parameter range of concern, and check the nonlinear evolution of the system when both modes are present.

Rogers, B.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Electromagnetic ion beam instabilities - Comparison of oneand two-dimensional simulations

Numerical simulations of electromagnetic instabilities, driven by a cool tenuous ion beam propagating along an ambient magnetic field, have been conducted in one and two spatial dimensions. The calculations employ particle ions, fluid electrons, and a predictor corrector scheme for solving the electromagnetic field in two dimensions that is described in some detail. While the principal features of the one-dimensional calculations (which reproduce previous work) are retained, the two-dimensional simulations show some reduction of the overall level of the magnetic field fluctuations. Enhancement of the heating of the beam ions at the expense of the core ions also occurs in the case where the beam density is sufficiently large that the right-hand nonresonant instability dominates. Implications of the results for modeling of the ion foreshock and quasi-parallel shocks are discussed.

Winske, D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Artificial ion beam instabilities. I - Linear theory. II - Simulations

Some of the important plasma instabilities that result when an artificial ion beam is injected into the ionospheric F region are studied using linear Vlasov theory. The variation in wave spectra at the receiver as the receiver and plasma gun separate perpendicularly to the magnetic field is consistent with a beam density decrease at or near the receiver. At separation distances that are large fractions of the beam gyrodiameter, usually narrow-band waves near the background lower hybrid and H+ gyroharmonic frequencies are measured. These observations are consistent with waves expected to be generated by beam densities on the order of or less than a few percent of the background density. At smaller separation distances, broadband waves are usually observed with frequencies from zero up to and above the lower hybrid frequency. Electrostatic particle simulation studies of the plasma instabilities indicate that the broadband fluidlike lower hybrid instability is the most important for background particle heating. Perpendicular H+ heating is more efficient than perpendicular O+ or parallel electron heating for the drift velocity regime most relevant to past experiments.

Scales, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Ion acceleration and abundance enhancements by electron beam instabilities in impulsive solar flares

We show that a nonrelativistic electron beam in a hydrogen-helium solar flare plasma will excite H(+) electromagnetic ion cyclotron, shear Alfven, and R-X waves, in addition to waves resulting from the two-stream instability. The H(+) electromagnetic ion cyclotron and shear Alfven waves are able to selectively accelerate ambient He-3 and Fe, respectively, to MeV energies through first harmonic gyroresonance, and thereby account for the large (He-3)/(He-4) and Fe/C ratios seen in the energetic particles from impulsive solar flares. In this model, separate heating and acceleration mechanisms for either He-3 or Fe are not required, and Fe acceleration is quite efficient since it does not need to occur by second harmonic gyroresonance. The combination of the other two unstable modes is able to accelerate ions to hundreds of MeV if the particles become trapped in an electrostatic potential well of a two-stream wave.

Miller, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Nonlinear evolution of electromagnetic ion beam instabilities

A comparative study of the ion/ion right-hand resonant instability and the ion/ion nonresonant instability is carried out to investigate and contrast their properties. Linear analysis demonstrates that the nonresonant instability becomes resonant if the density of the ion beam is sufficiently high. Hybrid simulations show that both the resonant and nonresonant instabilities result in the formation of nonlinear pulses, called pulsations, but with distinct features. For example, the pulsations generated by the resonant instability have a positive correlation with the ion density, while those generated by the nonresonant instability are likely to have a relatively weak negative correlation. The waves generated by the nonresonant instability are subject to a parametric decay instability and tend to form a state of condensate where the turbulence becomes nearly monochromatic.

Akimoto, K.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A perpendicular ion beam instability - Solutions to the linear dispersion relation

A 200-eV Xe(+) ion beam directed perpendicular to the terrestrial magnetic field in the F region ionosphere produced very narrow band electrostatic emissions just above multiples of the hydrogen cyclotron frequency. Although the plasma conditions associated with the ion beam were undoubtedly very complex, a simple ion beam in a background ionosphere is considered first. The dispersion relation for flute mode waves and an unmagnetized perpendicular ion beam is solved for a diffuse H(+) plasma and then for a combination of dense O(+) and diffuse H(+). These solutions account for most of the wave properties, including the observation of narrow spectral peaks separated by the hydrogen cyclotron frequency and the observation of no spectral peaks below 2000 Hz. We cannot dismiss field-aligned currents associated with the Xe(+) beam as an alternate source of free energy for the narrow band emissions. However, our intention here is to examine closely the Xe(+) beam as a source for directly exciting the plasma waves.

Kintner, P. M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The electron beam instability and turbulence theories

Extensions and practical applications of recent observations of electron beam-plasma interactions are investigated for the range of turbulence theories, extending from quasi-linear to strong turbulence theory, which have been developed on the basis of the Langmuir-wave excitation model. Electron foreshock observations have indicated that linear instability theory must encompass the excitation of waves whose frequencies are substantially different from those of the plasma frequency; the point of departure for such extensions should be a quantitative test of existing theories, and particle simulations conducive to such testing are presented. A step-by-step addition of physical considerations is used in such simulation studies to differentiate among nonlinear turbulence effects.

Dum, C. T.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The second-order theory of electromagnetic hot ion beam instabilities

The present investigation is concerned with the application of a second-order theory for electromagnetic instabilities in a collisionless plasma to two modes which resonate with hot ion beams. The application of the theory is strictly limited to the linear growth phase. However, the application of the theory may be extended to obtain a description of the beam at postsaturation if the wave-beam resonance is sufficiently broad in velocity space. Under the considered limitations, it is shown that, as in the cold beam case, the fluctuating fields do not gain appreciable momentum and that the primary exchange of momentum is between the beam and main component.

Gary, S. P.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Heating of the polar wind due to ion beam instabilities

Recent DE 1 observations (Chen et al., 1990) in the polar cap region have detected upflowing field-aligned O(+) and H(+) beams of about 10 eV energy; it was suggested that these beams may interact with the polar wind and provide free energy to the polar wind which will alter its 'classical' description. This paper investigates both the linear and the nonlinear effects of upflowing O(+) and H(+) ion beams on an O(+) and H(+) polar wind by applying isotropic Maxwellian distributions for modeling the O(+) and H(+) polar-wind ions and using drifting Maxwellian distributions for the electrons, O(+), and H(+) beam ions. It is shown that, in the presence of O(+) and H(+) beams, the slow ion acoustic and slow ion cyclotron modes can couple to the normal modes of the plasma and be driven unstable. The O(+) ions are preferentially heated over the H(+) ions; this preferential heating couses enhanced outflow of O(+) ions along polar cap field lines by effectively increasing the O(+) scale height.

Chen, Margaret W.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Ion-ion beam instability in a cylindrical geometry

The ion-ion instability is studied in a cylindrical double-plasma device. Low-frequency cylindrical standing waves are found which are one-dimensional in character with frequency proportional to beam velocity. An approximate dispersion relation for the cylindrical standing waves is derived.

Hershkowitz, N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Beam instability of the z mode in the solar wind

The instability of the slow extraordinary wave (z mode) caused by a tenuous population of energetic electrons, n(e), in the presence of a weak magnetic field and a cold plasma background, n(0), is investigated. The growth rate of the z mode was calculated within linear Vlasov theory and assuming that, for a weak magnetic field, the growth rate coincides with that of the electrostatic Langmuir wave, i.e., when the magnetic field is neglected for the cold background but retained for the energetic electrons. The analytical expression for the case of a thermal beam is deduced and numerically evaluated for some typical solar wind plasma conditions. The effects of the beam density, direction of propagation, and magnetic field on the observable polarization is discussed.

Krauss-Varban, D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Plasma-beam instabilities in cometary ionospheres

It is shown that the interaction between the solar wind flux and the cometary ionosphere leads to the excitation of ion sound, whistler, electron-cyclotron, low hybrid, and magnetohydrodynamic waves. We investigated the frequency spectrum and found linear-increasing increments and lengths of excited waves.

Churyumov, Klim I.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Oblique Propagation and Temperature Effects on the Resonant Right-Hand Ion Beam Instability

The resonant right-hand instability (RHI) is often the dominant mode driven by reflected ions upstream of Earth’s quasi-parallel bow shock. In the tradition of Peter Gary, this paper further explores the right-hand instability using numerical solutions of the plasma dispersion relation and non-linear kinetic simulations, with parameters inspired by observations from NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. Agreement is found between the ion distributions in the particle-in-cell simulations and Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft data, which show the gyrophase bunching characteristic of the instability. The non-linear structures created by right-hand instability tend to be stronger when the plasma beta is lower. These structures have sizes of around 100 to 200 ion inertial lengths perpendicular to the magnetic field, presenting planet-sized disturbances to the magnetosphere. 2d and 3D hybrid particle-in-cell simulations show that modes with a range of propagation angles oblique to the magnetic field are excited, providing a ground to understand previous statistical studies of observed foreshock waves.

Ari Le↗
NASA NTRS1986

Beam-plasma instabilities and the beam-plasma discharge

Using a new waves on magnetized beams and turbulence (WOMBAT) 0-450 eV electron gun, measurements bearing on the generation of beam-plasma discharge (BPD) are made. The new gun has a narrower divergence angle than the old, and the BPD ignition current is found to be proportional to the cross-sectional area of the plasma. The high-frequency instabilities are identified with the two Trivelpiece-Gould modes, (1959). The upper frequency is identified as a Cerenkov resonance with the upper Trivelpiece-Gould mode, and the lower frequency with a cyclotron resonance with the lower mode, in agreement with theoretical expectations. Convective growth rates are found to be small. A mechanism involving the conversion of a convective instability to an absolute one by trapping of the unstable waves in the density perturbations of the low-frequency waves, is suggested for the low-frequency wave control of the onset of the high frequency precursors to the BPD.

Kellogg, P. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Theory and simulation of the beam cyclotron instability.

A theory of plasma beam cyclotron instability is developed on the basis of computer simulation experiments. The theory holds that at certain turbulence levels, electron cross-field diffusion which supresses the electron gyroresonances is created by turbulent wave-particle interactions in a plasma beam after a period of quasi-linear exponential development of turbulence. The stabilizing effect of Landau ion damping is noted. The behavior of cold and hot ions is discussed.

Lampe, M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Numerical simulations of turbulent trapping in the weak beam-plasma instability

Numerical simulations of the weak beam-plasma instability were done in the turbulent regime where small-scale trapping is a dominant feature of the instability, a regime with behavior not predicted by quasi-linear theory. The results of the simulations were compared with those of a specific model of the turbulence, the so-called 'turbulent trapping' model, which gives precise formulas for the particle correlation functions, and predicts a growth rate well enhanced over the quasi-linear value. It was found that the model gives accurate predictions for the correlation functions. On the other hand, while growth rates were enhanced over the quasi-linear values, the enhancements observed are smaller than expected from the quantitative predictions of the model.

Theilhaber, K.↗