Role of Ion Motion and of Return Currents in Transverse Instability of Colliding Plasmas.
Abstract
Proper account of the ion dynamics is shown to lead to a significant change in the extent of the unstable range of transverse modes. However, no very high growth rates can be produced by the ions. For relativistic electron beams in a cold plasma, the role of return currents induced in the plasma and of plasma collisions are analyzed. The return currents do not influence the transverse instability except for the extreme relativistic region gamma(N sub b)/(N sub p) > 1, where the plasma electrons 'take over' in maintaining the growth rate high. Collisions are unimportant unless their frequency nu>or=(omega sub p)squared (plasma)/(omega sub p) (beam), where transverse oscillations cease to be electrically neutralized, so that pinching becomes impossible and the growth rate of the instability goes to zero like 1/nu. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1971
- Accession Number
- AD0750657
Entities
People
- Isaiah Nebenzahl
Organizations
- Cornell University