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A guiding centre Vlasov equation and its application to Alfvén waves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2009

Jules A. Fejer  and
Joseph R. Kan
Jules A. Fejer
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Electrophysics, University of California, San Diego and Institute for Pure and Applied Physical Sciences
Joseph R. Kan
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Electrophysics, University of California, San Diego and Institute for Pure and Applied Physical Sciences
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Abstract

Guiding centre approximations are used to derive the dielectric tensor of a collisionless plasma. This approximate dielectric tensor is used to obtain the dispersion relation of Alfvén waves in a warm plasma. In a ‘low/ β’ equilibrium plasma Alfvén waves are shown to suffer considerable Landau damping if the propagation vector is almost perpendicular to the magnetic field. In a non- equilibrium plasma Alfvén waves can be generated by ‘negative Landau damping’ even if β is low. For sufficiently high β the well-known ‘garden hose’ instability can occur and is then probably dominant. The importance of these two instabilities in the magnetosphere and in the solar wind is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Plasma Physics , Volume 3 , Issue 3 , September 1969 , pp. 331 - 351
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1969

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