Generation and Collapse of Langmuir Solitons in a Nonuniform Plasma,
Abstract
This numerical study considers the effect of a zero order density gradient on the development of Langmuir wave collapse in two dimensions. Two different situations are considered: (1) an initial soliton is perturbed in a direction transverse to the density gradient, and (2) the plasma is resonantly driven by an external pump electric field in the presence of transverse density fluctuations. The principal finding is that the density gradient can inhibit the development of Langmuir collapse for both the initial soliton and the externally driven cases. Over the limited parameter space surveyed it is found that collapse occurs for values of the scaled gradient parameter g < or about = 2.5; where g = (9.8)(M/m) to the 3/2 power (lambda sub D/L), M is the ion mass, m the electron mass, lambda sub D the Debye length, and L the gradient scale length. For larger values of g collapse is not observed. (author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA094305
Entities
People
- George J. Morales
- N R Pereira
Organizations
- University of California, Los Angeles