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The effect of turbulence on the K-parallel-B relativistic beam instability
Journal article   Peer reviewed

The effect of turbulence on the K-parallel-B relativistic beam instability

S. R Spangler and C. K Goertz
The Astrophysical journal, Vol.247, pp.1078-1088
08/1981
DOI: 10.1086/159117

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Abstract

The paper investigates effects of magnetic irregularities causing electron gyrophase diffusion on a process involving a field-aligned electron beam. Inclusion of gyrophase diffusion results in a change in the formula for the wave growth rate, and an equation is obtained which shows that when magnetic irregularities are present, the usual delta function in the growth rate formula must be replaced by a Lortentzian function. Physical consequences are also given, which indicate that irregularities may enhance or diminish the growth rate. Results include the discovery that some electron beams may exist without being isotropized by self-generated Alfven waves; and due to the frequency dependence for the broadening parameter, the growth rate spectrum may differ substantially from that calculated for a homogeneous plasma.

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