Theoretical and computational studies of the Weibel instability in several beam-plasma interaction configurations

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Davidson, Conor and Sheng, Zheng-Ming and Wilson, Thomas and McKenna, Paul (2022) Theoretical and computational studies of the Weibel instability in several beam-plasma interaction configurations. Journal of Plasma Physics, 88 (2). ISSN 0022-3778 (https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022377822000253)

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Abstract

The Weibel instability is investigated theoretically and numerically under three scenarios: counterstreaming electron beams in background plasma, an electron-positron beam and an electron-proton beam in background plasma. These models occur widely in laboratory and astrophysical environments. The Weibel instability growth rates are determined numerically from the corresponding cold-fluid dispersion relations, which are confirmed with two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The maximum growth rates for the counterstreaming beams in background plasma are an order of magnitude smaller than the maximum growth rates for the beams cases in the same range of density ratios and beam energies. The maximum growth rate for the electron-positron beam case is shown to be at most a factor greater than the electron-proton beam case with similar dispersion behaviours. A non-monotonic relation is found between the maximum Weibel instability growth rates and the electron-positron beam energy, suggesting that increasing beam energies does not entail an increase in the Weibel instability growth rate.

ORCID iDs

Davidson, Conor, Sheng, Zheng-Ming ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8823-9993, Wilson, Thomas ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6140-7045 and McKenna, Paul ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8061-7091;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:80058
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    31 March 2022
    Published
    4 March 2022
    Accepted
    Subjects:Science > Physics
    Department:Faculty of Science > Physics
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:04 Apr 2022 08:54
    Last modified:18 Dec 2024 01:32
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/80058
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