English

An Electrostatic Wave

Plasma Physics 2007-05-23 v1 Classical Physics

Abstract

In general, Maxwell's equations require that a wave of electric field be accompanied by a wave of magnetic field, and vice versa. However, it is possible to have a plane wave in a dielectric medium with electric field E parallel to the wave vector k (a longitudinal wave) with no time-dependent magnetic field provided the electric displacement D is zero. We give an example from plasma physics: the so-called Bernstein wave.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.physics/0312025,
  title  = {An Electrostatic Wave},
  author = {Kirk T. McDonald},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/0312025},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

8 pages, no figures