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arXiv · 2011.14941

Oblate Electron Holes are not attributable to Anisotropic Shielding

I H Hutchinson
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Abstract

Shielding mechanisms' influence on the ratio of perpendicular to parallel scale lengths of multidimensional plasma electron hole equilibria are analyzed theoretically and computationally. It is shown that the ``gyrokinetic'' model, invoking perpendicular polarization, is based on a misunderstanding and cannot explain the observational trend that greater transverse extent accompanies lower magnetic field. Instead, the potential in the wings of the hole, outside the region of trapped-electron depletion, has isotropic shielding giving $\phi\propto {\rm e}^{-r/L}/r$, with the shielding length $L$ equal to the Debye length for holes much slower than the electron thermal speed. Particle in cell simulations confirm the analysis.

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I H Hutchinson. 2020-11-30. Oblate Electron Holes are not attributable to Anisotropic Shielding. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0039233

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