Evolution of gas-dynamical parameters of an electron beam in an inhomogeneous plasma with an external electric field

Abstract

The effects of density gradient and an externally applied electric field on the evolution of gas-dynamical parameters of an electron beam are investigated. The parameters include the height of the plateau in the beam distribution function in velocity space, its upper velocity boundary and the local velocity spread of the beam. It is shown that in a plasma with both decreasing density and uniform electric field, the gas-dynamical parameters are determined by the competing effects of density gradient and electric field, and the evolution of parameters is not self-similar.