Effect of finite beam width on current separation in beam plasma system: Particle-in-Cell simulations

Abstract

The electron beam propagation in a plasma medium is susceptible to several instabilities. In the relativistic regime typically the weibel instability leading to the current separation dominates. The linear instability analysis is carried out for a system wherein the transverse extent of the beam is infinite. Even in simulations, infinite transverse extent of the beam has been chosen. In real situations, however, beam width will always be finite. keeping this in view the role of finite beam width on the evolution of the beam plasma system has been studied here using Particle - in - Cell simulations. It is observed that the current separation between the forward and return shielding current for a beam with finite beam occurs at the scale length of the beam width itself. Consequently the magnetic field structures that form have maximum power at the scale length of the beam width. This behaviour is distinct from what happens with a beam with having an infinite extent represented by simulations in a periodic box, where the initial scale length at which the magnetic field appears is that of the electron skin depth.