Nonlinear evolution of the electromagnetic electron-cyclotron instability in bi-Kappa distributed plasma

Eliasson, B. and Lazar, M. (2015) Nonlinear evolution of the electromagnetic electron-cyclotron instability in bi-Kappa distributed plasma. Physics of Plasmas, 22 (6). 062109. ISSN 1070-664X (https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4922479)

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Abstract

This paper presents a numerical study of the linear and nonlinear evolution of the electromagnetic electron-cyclotron (EMEC) instability in a bi-Kappa distributed plasma. Distributions with high energy tails described by the Kappa power-laws are often observed in collision-less plasmas (e.g., solar wind, accelerators), where wave-particle interactions control the plasma thermodynamics and keep the particle distributions out of Maxwellian equilibrium. Under certain conditions, the anisotropic bi-Kappa distribution gives rise to plasma instabilities creating low-frequency EMEC waves in the whistler branch. The instability saturates nonlinearly by reducing the temperature anisotropy until marginal stability is reached. Numerical simulations of the Vlasov-Maxwell system of equations show excellent agreement with the growth-rate and real frequency of the unstable modes predicted by linear theory. The wave-amplitude of the EMEC waves at nonlinear saturation is consistent with magnetic trapping of the electrons.

ORCID iDs

Eliasson, B. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6039-1574 and Lazar, M.;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)