Gyrobunching and wave-particle resonance in the lower hybrid drift instability

TL;DR

This study uses first principles simulations to analyze wave-particle interactions and energy transfer mechanisms during the linear phase of the lower hybrid drift instability in magnetized plasma, relevant to tokamak edge conditions.

Contribution

It provides a detailed first-principles analysis of wave-particle resonance and gyrobunching phenomena in the lower hybrid drift instability, linking energetic ion behavior to wave dynamics.

Findings

Resonant energy transfer occurs at specific gyrophase angles.

Electron oscillations determine wave wavelength and proton gyrobunching.

Analysis is relevant to tokamak edge plasma conditions.

Abstract

We report a first principles study of the coupled evolution of energetic ions, background majority ions, electrons and electromagnetic fields in magnetised plasma during the linear phase of the lower hybrid drift instability. A particle-in-cell code, with one spatial and three velocity space co-ordinates, is used to analyse the evolving distribution of a drifting ring-beam population of energetic protons in physical space and gyrophase angle. This analysis is carried out for plasma parameters that approximate to edge conditions in large tokamaks, in a scenario that is motivated by observations of ion cyclotron emission and may be relevant to alpha channelling. Resonant energy transfer occurs at the two gyrophase angles at which the instantaneous speed of an energetic proton on its cyclotron orbit precisely matches the phase velocity of the lower hybrid wave along the simulation domain. Electron space-charge oscillations determine the wavelength of the propagating lower hybrid wave, and thereby govern the spatial distribution of gyrobunching of the energetic protons that drive the instability.