COLLECTIVE MODES IN A PLASMA DUE TO TRANSVERSE INTERACTION
Abstract
The collective motion of a plasma due to the static magnetic interaction between the particles was studied with the aid of the Random Phase Approximation. A close analogy with plasma oscillations is demonstrated. An equation of motion is established. The motion may assume oscillatory or unstable character, depending on the unisotropy of the velocity-distribution. No collective motion is excited in thermal equilibrium. Then the effect of a more sophisticated model where both external magnetic field and the coupling of the two component species are taken into account, is considered. The stabilizing effect of the magnetic field, and new modes, such as magnetohydrodynamic waves, cyclotron waves, a peculiar two-component instability, are derived. Next, a general dispersion-relation is considered. The motion is decomposed into individual and collective contributions and selfconsistency requirement establishes the dispersion-relation. For large wave numbers the oscillatory motion suffers a Landau-damping, while in the case of increasing modes there is a maximum wave number that limits the spectrum of instabilities. Finally a beams treatment supplements the analysis. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 31, 1961
- Accession Number
- AD0277385
Entities
People
- G. Kalman
Organizations
- Technion – Israel Institute of Technology