Evolution Of Nonlinear Waves In Compressing Plasma
Authors: P.F. Schmit, I.Y. Dodin, and N.J. Fisch
Abstract:
Through particle-in-cell simulations, the evolution of nonlinear plasma waves is examined in
one-dimensional collisionless plasma undergoing mechanical compression. Unlike linear waves,
whose wavelength decreases proportionally to the system length L(t ), nonlinear waves, such as
solitary electron holes, conserve their characteristic size Δ during slow compression. This leads to
a substantially stronger adiabatic amplification as well as rapid collisionless damping when L
approaches Δ . On the other hand, cessation of compression halts the wave evolution, yielding a
stable mode.
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Submitted to: Physics of Plasmas (February 2011)
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Download PPPL-4628 (pdf KB pp)
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