Harmonics of electromagnetic and electrostatic plasma waves

Abstract

This paper shows that there are two types of nonlinear harmonics in a turbulent plasma. Until recently, it was not clear whether the electromagnetic second-harmonic mode [P. H. Yoon, Phys. Plasmas 2, 537 (1995)] and the electrostatic harmonic at 2 omega(pe) [P. H. Yoon, Phys. Plasmas 7, 4858 (2000)] were separate branches of nonlinear dispersion relation or whether one was a more general solution which includes the other as a special case. This paper shows that the former is true, namely, the two modes are independent solutions. This reconciles previous, apparently contradictory, predictions by showing that electromagnetic harmonic is a long-wavelength mode, while the electrostatic harmonic is characterized by short wavelengths. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.