Anomalous Resistance due to Cross-Field Electron-Ion Streaming Instabilities

Abstract

New computer simulations show that the nonlinear stage of the beam cyclotron instability is stabilized if Ti/Te≳υd/υe, similar to ion sound, as has been predicted theoretically. In this case, the instability makes no significant contribution to anomalous resistance, for the conditions of typical laboratory resistive shocks. In the opposite case, a theoretical study of the later development shows that after the onset of ion trapping, both wave energy and electron temperature grow linearly with time, and the anomalous electron-ion collision frequency becomes constant at ∼0.02 times the electron plasma frequency. These conclusions are supported by simulation studies.