Weibel instability beyond bi-Maxwellian anisotropy
Plasma Physics
2021-09-08 v3
Abstract
The shape of the anisotropic velocity distribution function, beyond the realm of strict Maxwellians can play a significant role in determining the evolution of the Weibel instability dictating the dynamics of self-generated magnetic fields. For non-Maxwellian distribution functions, we show that the direction of the maximum growth rate wavevector changes with shape. We investigate different laser-plasma interaction model distributions which show that their Weibel generated magnetic fields may require closer scrutiny beyond the second moment (temperature) anisotropy ratio characterization.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2102.05499,
title = {Weibel instability beyond bi-Maxwellian anisotropy},
author = {Thales Silva and Bedros Afeyan and Luis O. Silva},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2102.05499},
year = {2021}
}