Ion-Acoustic Instabilities in a Multi-Ion Plasma

Abstract

We have, in this paper, studied the stability of the ion-acoustic wave in a plasma composed of hydrogen, positively and negatively charged oxygen ions, and electrons, which approximates very well the plasma environment around a comet. Modelling each cometary component (H+, O+, and O−) by a ring distribution, we find that ion-acoustic waves can be generated at frequencies comparable to the hydrogen ion plasma frequency. The dispersion relation has been solved both analytically and numerically. We find that the ratio of the ring speed (u⊥s) to the thermal spread (vts) modifies the dispersion characteristics of the ion-acoustic wave. The contrasting behaviour of the phase velocity of the ion-acoustic wave in the presence of O− ions for u⊥s>vts (and vice versa) can be used to detect the presence of negatively charged oxygen ions and also their thermalization.

Landau damping of ion‐acoustic waves with simultaneous effects of non‐extensivity and non‐thermality in the presence of hybrid Cairns‐Tsallis distributed electrons

“…[9] IAWs are one of the fundamental (low-frequency) waves which are easily observed in the plasma regimes of comets. [10] The international cometary explorer (ICE) spacecraft observed these waves from frequencies ranging from 1.0 to 1.5 kHz at Giacobini-Zinner's comet, and after that, the spacecraft Sakigake observed IAWs with frequencies rather less than 1.0 kHz at Halley's comet. [11] The Ulysses spacecraft during the first and second orbit also observed the IAWs in the solar wind.…”

Theoretical Investigations of Gyrating Ion Beam-Driven Ion-Acoustic Wave Instability in Plasma Using First Order Perturbation Theory

“…D'Angelo and Song [12] presented the analysis of the hybrid-hybrid mode in negative ion plasmas. Abraham and Sebastian [13] have studied the instabilities of IAWs in a plasma comprising of electrons, hydrogen positive, and negatively charged oxygen ions. Akbari-Moghanjoughi [14] has studied the nonlinear growth of ion-acoustic waves which was periodically driven in plasma containing electrons and ions having adiabatic as well as isothermal ion fuids.…”