Whistler wave emission by a modulated electron beam injected into a plasma column surrounded by a uniform medium

Abstract

The efficiency of whistler wave radiation by a density modulated and thin electron beam of finite length injected parallel with respect to the constant ambient magnetic field into a cylindrical plasma column surrounded by a uniform isotropic medium and aligned along the magnetic field is studied. A rigorous analytical derivation of the wave fields excited by the beam in the plasma column is presented. The time-averaged power radiated by the beam at the modulation frequency is determined. In particular, numerical calculations performed for physical conditions relevant to laboratory magnetized discharge plasmas show that, in the presence of a plasma column, the power lost by the modulated beam can be efficiently enhanced owing to resonant Cherenkov excitation of guided whistler modes at the beam modulation frequency.