Flute instability of an ion-focused slab electron beam in a broad plasma

An intense relativistic electron beam with an elongated cross section, propagating in the ion-focused regime through a broad, uniform, unmagnetized plasma, is shown to suffer a transverse flute instability. This instability arises from the electrostatic coupling between the beam and the plasma elect...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. A, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics Atomic, molecular, and optical physics, 1992-11, Vol.46 (10), p.6684-6699
Main Authors: WHITTUM, D. H, LAMPE, M, JOYCE, G, SLINKER, S. P, YU, S. S, SHARP, W. M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700460 - Fusion Technology- Heating & Fueling Systems
BEAM TRANSPORT
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
BEAMS
COLLISIONLESS PLASMA
ELECTRON BEAMS
Exact sciences and technology
FLUTE INSTABILITY
FOCUSING
Fuels-
INSTABILITY
ION BEAMS
LEPTON BEAMS
PARTICLE BEAMS
Physics
Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges
Physics of plasmas and electric discharges
PLASMA
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
RELATIVISTIC PLASMA
SLABS
Waves, oscillations, and instabilities in plasmas and intense beams
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Summary:An intense relativistic electron beam with an elongated cross section, propagating in the ion-focused regime through a broad, uniform, unmagnetized plasma, is shown to suffer a transverse flute instability. This instability arises from the electrostatic coupling between the beam and the plasma electrons at the ion-channel edge. The instability is found to be absolute and the asymptotic growth of the flute amplitude is computed in the frozen-field'' approximation and the large skin-depth limit. The minimum growth length is shown to be much less than the betatron period, with the consequence that focusing is rendered ineffective. It is further shown that growth is much reduced when the beam propagates through a narrow channel where the ion density greatly exceeds that of the surrounding plasma. In this limit, a modest spread in betatron frequency produces rapid saturation. The effect of plasma electron collisions is also considered. Results of beam breakup simulations are noted.
ISSN:1050-2947
1094-1622
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevA.46.6684