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arXiv · 1807.05178

Beaming electromagnetic (or heat-flux) instabilities from the interplay with the electron temperature anisotropies

S. M. Shaaban·M. Lazar·P. H. Yoon·S. Poedts
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Abstract

In space plasmas kinetic instabilities are driven by the beaming (drifting) components and/or the temperature anisotropy of charged particles. The heat-flux instabilities are known in the literature as electromagnetic modes destabilized by the electron beams (or strahls) aligned to the interplanetary magnetic field. A new kinetic approach is proposed here in order to provide a realistic characterization of heat-flux instabilities under the influence of electrons with temperature anisotropy. Numerical analysis is based on the kinetic Vlasov-Maxwell theory for two electron counter-streaming (core and beam) populations with temperature anisotropies, and stationary, isotropic protons. The main properties of electromagnetic heat-flux instabilities are found to be markedly changed by the temperature anisotropy of electron beam $A_b = T_\perp / T_\parallel \ne 1$, leading to stimulation of either the whistler branch if $A_b > 1$, or the firehose branch for $A_b<1$. For a high temperature anisotropy whistlers switch from heat-flux to a standard regime, when their instability is inhibited by the beam.

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S. M. Shaaban, M. Lazar, P. H. Yoon, S. Poedts. 2018-07-13. Beaming electromagnetic (or heat-flux) instabilities from the interplay with the electron temperature anisotropies. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5042481

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