A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Analytical treatment of particle motion in circularly polarized slab-mode wave fields
Authors: Schreiner C, Vainio R, Spanier F
Publisher: CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
Publishing place: Cambridge
Publication year: 2018
Journal: Journal of Plasma Physics
Journal name in source: JOURNAL OF PLASMA PHYSICS
Journal acronym: J PLASMA PHYS
Article number: ARTN 905840104
Volume: 84
Issue: 1
Number of pages: 26
ISSN: 0022-3778
eISSN: 1469-7807
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022377817001015
Abstract
Wave-particle interaction is a key process in particle diffusion in collisionless plasmas. We look into the interaction of single plasma waves with individual particles and discuss under which circumstances this is a chaotic process, leading to diffusion. We derive the equations of motion for a particle in the fields of a magnetostatic, circularly polarized, monochromatic wave and show that no chaotic particle motion can arise under such circumstances. A novel and exact analytic solution for the equations is presented. Additional plasma waves lead to a breakdown of the analytic solution and chaotic particle trajectories become possible. We demonstrate this effect by considering a linearly polarized, monochromatic wave, which can be seen as the superposition of two circularly polarized waves. Test particle simulations are provided to illustrate and expand our analytical considerations.
Wave-particle interaction is a key process in particle diffusion in collisionless plasmas. We look into the interaction of single plasma waves with individual particles and discuss under which circumstances this is a chaotic process, leading to diffusion. We derive the equations of motion for a particle in the fields of a magnetostatic, circularly polarized, monochromatic wave and show that no chaotic particle motion can arise under such circumstances. A novel and exact analytic solution for the equations is presented. Additional plasma waves lead to a breakdown of the analytic solution and chaotic particle trajectories become possible. We demonstrate this effect by considering a linearly polarized, monochromatic wave, which can be seen as the superposition of two circularly polarized waves. Test particle simulations are provided to illustrate and expand our analytical considerations.
UTU Research Portal