Self-consistent generation of superthermal electrons by beam-plasma interaction

Abstract

It has been known since the early days of plasma physics research that superthermal electrons are generated during beam-plasma laboratory experiments. Superthermal electrons (the kappa distribution) are also ubiquitously observed in space. To explain such a feature, various particle acceleration mechanisms have been proposed. However, self-consistent acceleration of electrons in the context of plasma kinetic theory has not been demonstrated to date. This Letter reports such a demonstration. It is shown that the collisionality, defined via the "plasma parameter" g=1/n lambda(3)(D), plays a pivotal role. It is found that a small but moderately finite value of g is necessary for the superthermal tail to be generated, implying that purely collisionless (g=0) Vlasov theory cannot produce a superthermal population.