English

Unperturbed-orbit integration and the 3D kinetic dispersion relation of the electron cyclotron drift instability

Plasma Physics 2026-01-15 v1

Abstract

High-frequency instabilities in crossed-field (E×B\bm E\times\bm B) plasmas are widely implicated in anomalous cross-field electron transport in Hall thrusters and related devices. Building on the fully kinetic 3D electrostatic dispersion relations reported by Ducrocq \emph{et al.} and later by Lafleur \emph{et al.}, we provide a concise, self-contained derivation of the key missing step: the magnetized-electron density perturbation ne1n_{e1} obtained from the linearized Vlasov equation via a retarded integration along unperturbed orbits, including finite-Larmor-radius effects and cyclotron harmonics. We collect the required mathematical identities in appendices and clarify the mapping between the Ducrocq Poisson-form and the Lafleur dielectric-form representations, including ion closures (cold-fluid versus kinetic Landau response). We conclude with a brief discussion of the assumptions and possible extensions toward more realistic configurations.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.09047,
  title  = {Unperturbed-orbit integration and the 3D kinetic dispersion relation of the electron cyclotron drift instability},
  author = {Yinjian Zhao},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.09047},
  year   = {2026}
}