Observation of ion heating during stimulated Buneman instability in a temporally growing plasma

Author： Pandey Shail Bhattacharjee Sudeep

E-ISSN： 1286-4854|108|1|15001-15001

ISSN： 0295-5075

Source： EPL (EUROPHYSICS LETTERS), Vol.108, Iss.1, 2014-10, pp. : 15001-15001

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Abstract

Observations and conclusive measurements of ion heating during stimulated Buneman instability (BI) are reported in a temporally growing plasma, created by short-pulse $(20\ \mu \text{s})$ electromagnetic waves. The instability lasts for $\sim 5\ \mu \text{s}$ during the pulse on time and arises when the applied electric-field amplitude $E_0$ supersedes the threshold critical electric field $(E_{cr})$ for free acceleration. During the initial period of plasma development after the launch of the pulsed waves, the maximum growth of BI is registered at $\sim 0.3\ \mu \text{s}$ . The analysis of time-resolved measurements of electron and ion energy distributions indicates an anomalous collision frequency and a hot ion energy tail that persists for more than 700 ns. The energy from the instability is responsible for bringing about the intense and rapid ionization observed upon its termination.