Related papers: PIC simulations of the Thermal Anisotropy-Driven W…
It is generally accepted that magnetic fields generated in the nonlinear development of the transverse Weibel instability provide effective collisionality in unmagnetized collisionless shocks. Recently, extensive two and three dimensional…
Electron plasmas confined by an external magnetic field exhibit variations in a two-dimensional plane orthogonal to the confining magnetic field. A nonlinear fluid simulation code to investigate the properties of 2-D electron plasma wave…
Nonthermal radiation observed from astrophysical systems containing relativistic jets and shocks, e.g., gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and microquasars commonly exhibit power-law emission spectra. Recent PIC…
The Particle-In-Cell (PIC) method is widely used in relativistic particle beam and laser plasma modeling. However, the PIC method exhibits numerical instabilities that can render unphysical simulation results or even destroy the simulation.…
In continuation of previous work, numerical results are presented, concerning relativistically counter-streaming plasmas. Here, the relativistic mixed mode instability evolves through, and beyond, the linear saturation -- well into the…
A recent experimental observation has shown efficient transport of Mega Ampere of electron currents through aligned carbon nanotube arrays [Phys. Rev Letts. 108, 235005 (2012)]. The result was subsequently interpreted on the basis of…
To fully characterize electron drift instability, a critical phenomenon governing electron transport in Hall thrusters, large-scale three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations are essential, as the instability inherently…
A new statistical approach is presented to study the thermal instability process of optically thin unmagnetized plasma. In this approach the time evolution of mass distribution function over temperature is calculated. This function…
We use electromagnetic Particle-in-Cell codes to investigate the two-stream instability and Weibel instability when two beams of plasma collide head-on relativistically. We compare the dissipation of kinetic energies in the two cases. We…
We conduct two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations to investigate the scattering of electron heat flux by self-generated oblique electromagnetic waves. The heat flux is modeled as a bi-kappa distribution with a T_parallel > T_perp…
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.…
A nonresonant cosmic-ray-current-driven instability may operate in the shock precursors of young supernova remnants and be responsible for magnetic-field amplification, plasma heating and turbulence. Earlier simulations demonstrated…
Various systems can be modeled as a point-like explosion of ionized debris into a magnetized, collisionless background plasma -- including astrophysical examples, active experiments in space, and laser-driven laboratory experiments. Debris…
Naturally-occurring whistler-mode waves in near-Earth space play a crucial role in accelerating electrons to relativistic energies and scattering them in pitch angle, driving their precipitation into Earth's atmosphere. Here, we report on…
The Electron Cyclotron Drift Instability (ECDI) driven by the electron $E\times B$ drift in partially magnetized plasmas is investigated with highly resolved particle-in-cell simulations. The emphasis is on two-dimensional effects involving…
In collision-poor plasmas from space, e.g., the solar wind and planetary magnetospheres, the kinetic anisotropy of the plasma particles is expected to be regulated by the kinetic instabilities. Driven by an excess of ion (proton)…
Electron acoustic waves (EAWs) are nonlinear plasma modes characterized by electron trapping, which suppresses the usual Landau damping. Despite being predicted in the 1990s, their excitation and decay mechanisms remain a subject of active…
The maximum magnetic field strength generated by Weibel-type plasma instabilities is estimated for typical conditions in the interstellar medium. The relevant kinetic dispersion relations are evaluated by conducting a parameter study both…
To analyze the joint development of two-stream and filamentation kinetic instabilities in a plasma with a particle beam, a quasilinear approach has been developed that accounts for the integral nonlinear interaction of modes arising from…
The statistical properties of ions in two-dimensional fully developed turbulence have been compared between two different numerical algorithms. In particular, we compare Hybrid Particle In Cell (hybrid PIC with fluid electrons) and full PIC…