Electrostatic electron-cyclotron waves in plasma with a loss-cone distribution

Abstract

An analytical investigation and numerical solutions of the dispersion equation for electrostatic waves in plasma with a loss-cone velocity distribution are presented. The general structure of the dispersion branches is elucidated and the maximum growth rates found for different sets of plasma parameters. The results obtained provide a basis for treating magnetospheric and laboratory experimental results concerning electrostatic waves with frequencies close to (m+1/2) omega c.