Electromagnetic extension of the Dory–Guest–Harris instability as a benchmark for Vlasov–Maxwell continuum kinetic simulations of magnetized plasmas

Abstract

A closed-form integral representation of the electromagnetic dispersion relation for plasma waves propagating perpendicular to a magnetic field is derived. Growth rates and oscillation frequencies are calculated for several cases of the Dory–Guest–Harris instability and compared with those calculated from the usual electrostatic version of the dispersion relation. The comparisons show that the electromagnetic treatment more accurately identifies unstable configurations in plasmas with high beta, where the electrostatic dispersion relation predicts stability. Continuum kinetic simulations using the Washington approximate Riemann plasma framework confirm the theoretical calculations. The electromagnetic extension of the Dory–Guest–Harris instability provides a new benchmark problem for testing continuum kinetic simulations using the Vlasov–Maxwell plasma model, including for other numerical treatments such as particle-in-cell methods.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2021
Source ID
10.1063/5.0057230

Entities

People

  • D. W. Crews
  • I. A. M. Datta
  • Uri Shumlak

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • National Science Foundation
  • University of Washington

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.
  • Wave Propagation and Nonlinear Chaotic Dynamics.