S. K. Maharaj

Existence domains of arbitrary amplitude nonlinear structures in two-electron temperature space plasmas. II. High-frequency electron-acoustic solitons

Using the Sagdeev pseudopotential technique, the existence of large amplitude ion-acoustic solitons is investigated for a plasma composed of ions, and hot and cool electrons. Not only are all species treated as adiabatic fluids but the model for which inertial effects of the hot electrons is neglected whilst retaining inertia and pressure for the ions and cool electrons has also been considered. The focus of this investigation has been on identifying the admissible Mach number ranges for large amplitude nonlinear ion-acoustic soliton structures. The lower Mach number limit yields a minimum velocity for the existence of ion-acoustic solitons. The upper Mach number limit for positive potential solitons is found to coincide with the limiting value of the potential (positive) beyond which the ion number density ceases to be real valued, and ion-acoustic solitons can no longer exist. Small amplitude solitons having negative potentials are found to be supported when the temperature of the cool electrons is negligible.

Existence domains of slow and fast ion-acoustic solitons in two-ion space plasmas

A study of large amplitude ion-acoustic solitons is conducted for a model composed of cool and hot ions and cool and hot electrons. Using the Sagdeev pseudo-potential formalism, the scope of earlier studies is extended to consider why upper Mach number limitations arise for slow and fast ion-acoustic solitons. Treating all plasma constituents as adiabatic fluids, slow ion-acoustic solitons are limited in the order of increasing cool ion concentrations by the number densities of the cool, and then the hot ions becoming complex valued, followed by positive and then negative potential double layer regions. Only positive potentials are found for fast ion-acoustic solitons which are limited only by the hot ion number density having to remain real valued. The effect of neglecting as opposed to including inertial effects of the hot electrons is found to induce only minor quantitative changes in the existence regions of slow and fast ion-acoustic solitons.

Arbitrary amplitude slow electron-acoustic solitons in three-electron temperature space plasmas

We examine the characteristics of large amplitude slow electron-acoustic solitons supported in a four-component unmagnetised plasma composed of cool, warm, hot electrons, and cool ions. The inertia and pressure for all the species in this plasma system are retained by assuming that they are adiabatic fluids. Our findings reveal that both positive and negative potential slow electron-acoustic solitons are supported in the four-component plasma system. The polarity switch of the slow electron-acoustic solitons is determined by the number densities of the cool and warm electrons. Negative potential solitons, which are limited by the cool and warm electron number densities becoming unreal and the occurrence of negative potential double layers, are found for low values of the cool electron density, while the positive potential solitons occurring for large values of the cool electron density are only limited by positive potential double layers. Both the lower and upper Mach numbers for the slow electron-acoustic solitons are computed and discussed.

High and low frequency instabilities driven by a single electron beam in two-electron temperature space plasmas

In an attempt to understand the excitation mechanisms of broadband electrostatic noise, beam-generated electrostatic instabilities are investigated using kinetic theory in a four-component magnetised plasma model composed of beam electrons (magnetic field-aligned), background hot and cool electrons and ions. All species are fully magnetised and considered to be Maxwellian. The dependence of the instability growth rates and real frequencies on various plasma parameters such as beam speed, particle densities and temperatures, magnetic field strength, wave propagation angle, and temperature anisotropy of the beam are examined. In this study we have found that the electron-acoustic, electron beam-resonant and ion-acoustic instabilities are excited. Our studies have focused on three velocity regimes, namely, the low (vdbz 2 Ch) regimes, where vdbz (Ch) is the electron beam drift speed (thermal speed of the hot electrons). Plasma parameters from satellit...

Particle-in-cell simulations of beam-driven electrostatic waves in a plasma

Using a particle-in-cell simulation, the characteristics of electrostatic waves are investigated in a three-electron component plasma including an electron beam. A Maxwellian distribution is used to describe the electron velocities. Three electrostatic modes are excited, namely electron plasma, electron acoustic, and beam-driven waves. These modes have a broad frequency spectrum and have been associated with intense broadband electrostatic noise observed in the Earth’s auroral zone. The simulation results compare well with analytical dispersion and growth rate relations. This agreement serves to validate the simulation technique.

Particle-in-cell simulations of ion-acoustic waves with application to Saturn's magnetosphere

Using a particle-in-cell simulation, the dispersion and growth rate of the ion-acoustic mode are investigated for a plasma containing two ion and two electron components. The electron velocities are modelled by a combination of two kappa distributions, as found in Saturns magnetosphere. The ion components consist of adiabatic ions and an ultra-low density ion beam to drive a very weak instability, thereby ensuring observable waves. The ion-acoustic mode is explored for a range of parameter values such as κ, temperature ratio, and density ratio of the two electron components. The phase speed, frequency range, and growth rate of the mode are investigated. Simulations of double-kappa two-temperature plasmas typical of the three regions of Saturns magnetosphere are also presented and analysed.

High and low frequency instabilities driven by counter-streaming electron beams in space plasmas

A four-component plasma composed of a drifting (parallel to ambient magnetic field) population of warm electrons, drifting (anti-parallel to ambient magnetic field) cool electrons, stationary hot electrons, and thermal ions is studied in an attempt to further our understanding of the excitation mechanisms of broadband electrostatic noise (BEN) in the Earths magnetospheric regions such as the magnetosheath, plasmasphere, and plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL). Using kinetic theory, beam-driven electrostatic instabilities such as the ion-acoustic, electron-acoustic instabilities are found to be supported in our multi-component model. The dependence of the instability growth rates and real frequencies on various plasma parameters such as beam speed, number density, temperature, and temperature anisotropy of the counter-streaming (relative to ambient magnetic field) cool electron beam are investigated. It is found that the number density of the anti-field aligned cool electron beam and drift speed play a central role in determining which instability is excited. Using plasma parameters which are closely correlated with the measurements made by the Cluster satellites in the PSBL region, we find that the electron-acoustic and ion-acoustic instabilities could account for the generation of BEN in this region.

A simulation approach of high-frequency electrostatic waves found in Saturn's magnetosphere

Using a particle-in-cell simulation, the characteristics of electron plasma and electron acoustic waves are investigated in plasmas containing an ion and two electron components. The electron velocities are modeled by a combination of two κ distributions. The model applies to the extended plasma sheet region in Saturn’s magnetosphere where the cool and hot electron velocities are found to have low indices, κc≃2 and κh≃4. For such low values of κc and κh, the electron plasma and electron acoustic waves are coupled. The model predicts weakly damped electron plasma waves while electron acoustic waves should also be observable, although less prominent.

Electrostatic solitary waves in a magnetized dusty plasma

The nonlinear evolution of driven low-frequency electrostatic waves is investigated in a three-component magnetized dusty plasma comprised of a warm dust fluid, electrons, and ions. Electrons as well as ions are considered to have Boltzmann distributions. The fluid equations for the dust along with the quasineutrality condition are used to obtain a single nonlinear differential equation for the electric field. Periodic solutions of the nonlinear differential equation yield sinusoidal, sawtooth and bipolar structures which are similar to nonlinear structures supported in electron-ion plasmas. Results of our findings are applied to Saturn’s rings.

A particle-in-cell approach to obliquely propagating electrostatic waves

The electron-acoustic and beam-driven modes associated with electron beams have previously been identified and studied numerically. These modes are associated with Broadband Electrostatic Noise found in the Earths auroral and polar cusp regions. Using a 1-D spatial Particle-in-Cell simulation, the electron-acoustic instability is studied for a magnetized plasma, which includes cool ions, cool electrons and a hot, drifting electron beam. Both the weakly and strongly magnetized regimes with varying wave propagation angle, θ, with respect to the magnetic field are studied. The amplitude and frequency of the electron-acoustic mode are found to decrease with increasing θ. The amplitude of the electron-acoustic mode is found to significantly grow at intermediate wavenumber ranges. It reaches a saturation level at the point, where a plateau forms in the hot electron velocity distribution after which the amplitude of the electron-acoustic mode decays.