Cross-field electron diffusion due to the coupling of drift-driven microinstabilities

Kentaro Hara and Sedina Tsikata
Phys. Rev. E 102, 023202 – Published 3 August 2020

Abstract

In this paper, the nonlinear interaction between kinetic instabilities driven by multiple ion beams and magnetized electrons is investigated. Electron diffusion across magnetic field lines is enhanced by the coupling of plasma instabilities. A two-dimensional collisionless particle-in-cell simulation is performed accounting for singly and doubly charged ions in a cross-field configuration. Consistent with prior linear kinetic theory analysis and observations from coherent Thomson scattering experiments, the present simulations identify an ion-ion two-stream instability due to multiply charged ions (flowing in the direction parallel to the applied electric field) which coexists with the electron cyclotron drift instability (propagating perpendicular to the applied electric field and parallel to the E×B drift). Small-scale fluctuations due to the coupling of these naturally driven kinetic modes are found to be a mechanism that can enhance cross-field electron transport and contribute to the broadening of the ion velocity distribution functions.

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  • Received 29 December 2019
  • Revised 23 May 2020
  • Accepted 10 July 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.102.023202

©2020 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Plasma Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Kentaro Hara*

  • Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 496 Lomita Mall, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA

Sedina Tsikata

  • ICARE UPR 3021, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Orléans, France

  • *kenhara@stanford.edu
  • sedina.tsikata@cnrs-orleans.fr

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Vol. 102, Iss. 2 — August 2020

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