The Spiky Turbulence Generated by a Propagating Electrostatic Wave of Finite Spatial Extent.

摘要

The excitation of a new type of plasma turbulence consisting of a collection of neighboring localized electric fields of high intensity is investigated. The individual localized fields that constitute the spiky turbulence oscillate at frequencies close to the electron plasma frequency, and their localization is attributed to wave-trapping inside the self-consistent density cavities generated by the total ponderomotive force. Unlike previous investigations of this type of nonlinearity, which have dealt almost exclusively with the effects triggered by electromagnetic radiation, the present work studies the turbulence which is generated by a propagating electrostatic wave of finite spatial extent. This type of pump wave may arise naturally in beam-plasma experiments or in other situations which lead to a finite amplification region.