How can slow plasma electron holes exist?
Name
21ja035_full.pdf
Size
1.92 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
9e422d1bf1a3228b8091e3542e30fd40
Author(s)
Hutchinson, Ian H.
Date Issued
July 2021
Journal
Physical Review E
Publisher
APS
Abstract
One-dimensional analysis is presented of solitary positive potential plasma structures whose velocity lies within the range of ion distribution velocities that are strongly populated: "slow" electron holes. It is shown that to avoid the self-acceleration of the hole velocity away from ion velocities it must lie within a local minimum in the ion velocity distribution. Quantitative criteria for the existence of stable equilibria are obtained. The background ion distributions required are generally stable to ion-ion modes unless the electron temperature is much higher than the ion temperature. Since slow positive potential solitons are shown not to be possible without a significant contribution from trapped electrons, it seems highly likely that such observed slow potential structures are indeed electron holes.
Description
Submitted for publication in Physical Review E
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.104.015208
