Journal article
Highly Supersonic Ion Pulses in a Collisionless Magnetized Plasma
The initial transient response of a collisionless plasma to a high positive voltage step is investigated. Four different pulses are observed. An electron plasma wave pulse is followed by an ion burst. The latter is overtaken and absorbed by a highly supersonic ion pulse. Thereafter, an ion rarefaction pulse with roughly the ion acoustic velocity propagates into the other direction.
The supersonic pulse is tentatively explained as the result of a transient Buneman instability. Together with the rarefaction pulse, it forms the first cycle of an instability which is customarily considered a current-driven ion acoustic one, but is, in fact, a potential relaxation instability
Language: | English |
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Publisher: | American Institute of Physics |
Year: | 1982 |
Pages: | 48-51 |
ISSN: | 10897666 , 10706631 , 21634998 and 00319171 |
Types: | Journal article |
DOI: | 10.1063/1.863628 |
ORCIDs: | Juul Rasmussen, Jens |