Related papers: Kinetic model of large-amplitude oscillations in n…
We describe aspects of particle creation in strong fields using a quantum kinetic equation with a relaxation-time approximation to the collision term. The strong electric background field is determined by solving Maxwell's equation in…
The avalanche mechanism of plasma production in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is detailed, and constraints on system parameters needed for efficient electron-positron pair cascades are explored. Whether an AGN falls within this favorable…
The collective production of electron-positron pairs by electrostatic waves in quantum plasmas is investigated. In particular, a semi-classical governing set of equation for a self-consistent treatment of pair creation by the Schwinger…
(abridged) The physics of the pulsar magnetosphere near the neutron star surface remains poorly constrained by observations. Nevertheless it is believed that large vacuum gaps exist in the magnetosphere, and a non-neutral plasma partially…
We evidence the existence of plasma oscillations of electrons-positron pairs created by the vacuum polarization in an uniform electric field with E < Ec. Our general treatment, encompassing also the traditional, well studied case of E > Ec,…
In strong electromagnetic fields, unique plasma phenomena and applications emerge, whose description requires recently developed theories and simulations [Y. Shi, Ph.D. thesis, Princeton University (2018)]. In the classical regime, to…
The origin of pulsar radio emission is one of the old puzzles in theoretical astrophysics. In this Letter we present a global kinetic plasma simulation which shows from first-principles how and where radio emission can be produced in pulsar…
We study particle acceleration in strongly turbulent pair plasmas using novel 3D Particle-in-Cell simulations, featuring particle injection from an external heat bath and diffusive escape. We demonstrate the formation of steady-state,…
By means of a particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation, we study the interaction between a uniform magnetized ambient electron-proton plasma at rest and an unmagnetized pair plasma, which we inject at one simulation boundary with a mildly…
We investigate the effect of a distorted neutron star dipole magnetic field on pulsar pair cascade multiplicity and pair death lines. Using a simple model for a distorted dipole field that produces an offset polar cap, we derive the…
The generation of electron surface oscillations in overdense plasmas irradiated at normal incidence by an intense laser pulse is investigated. Two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell simulations show a transition from a planar, electrostatic…
Nonlinear oscillations within a plasma slab are analyzed. Two types of solutions are found, depending on the initial value of the electron density. The first represents regular oscillations within the plasma slab, while the second gives…
Kinetic instabilities in a dense plasma of a continuous ECR discharge in a mirror magnetic trap at the GISMO setup are studied. We experimentally define unstable regimes and corresponding plasma parameters, where the excitation of…
Coherent radio emission from pulsars originates from excited plasma waves in an ultra-relativistic and strongly magnetized electron-positron pair plasma streaming along the open magnetic field lines of the pulsar. Traditional coherent radio…
It is known that strong electric fields produce electron and positron pairs from the vacuum, and due to the back-reaction these pairs oscillate back and forth coherently with the alternating electric fields in time. We study this phenomenon…
We present for the first time the nonlinear dynamics of quantum electrodynamic (QED) photon splitting in a strongly magnetized electron-positron (pair) plasma. By using a QED corrected Maxwell equation, we derive a set of equations that…
A number of disparate observational and theoretical pieces of evidence indicate that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, neutron stars' closed field lines are populated by dense, hot plasma and may be responsible for producing some radio…
QED cascades play an important role in extreme astrophysical environments like magnetars. They can also be produced by passing a relativistic electron beam through an intense laser field. Signatures of collective pair plasma effects in…
The expansion of a charge-neutral cloud of electrons and positrons with the temperature 1 MeV into an unmagnetized ambient plasma is examined with a 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. The pair outflow drives solitary waves in the ambient…
Recently a filamentation instability was observed when a laser-generated pair cloud interacted with an ambient plasma. The magnetic field it drove was strong enough to magnetize and accelerate the ambient electrons. It is of interest to…