Induced Compton scattering in magnetized electron and positron pair plasma

TL;DR

This paper develops a new analytical formulation for the parametric instability of electromagnetic waves in magnetized pair plasma, revealing how certain effects influence induced Compton scattering and the polarization of waves in astrophysical contexts.

Contribution

It introduces the first analytical derivation of the linear growth rate of induced Compton scattering below the cyclotron frequency in magnetized pair plasma and identifies key effects reducing scattering rates.

Findings

Identified three modes of density fluctuation: ordinary, charged, and neutral.

Discovered that magnetic fields and Debye screening significantly affect scattering rates.

Applied results to explain polarization and escape of waves in magnetar environments.

Abstract

A formulation for the parametric instability of electromagnetic (EM) waves in magnetized pair plasma is developed. The linear growth rate of induced Compton scattering is derived analytically for frequencies below the cyclotron frequency for the first time. We identify three modes of density fluctuation: ordinary, charged, and neutral modes. In the charged mode, the ponderomotive force separates charges (electrons and positrons) longitudinally, in contrast to the nonmagnetized case. We also recognize two effects that significantly reduce the scattering rate for waves polarized perpendicular to the magnetic field: (1) the gyroradius effect due to the magnetic suppression of particle orbits, and (2) Debye screening for wavelengths larger than the Debye length. Applying this to fast radio bursts (FRBs), we find that these effects facilitate the escape of X-mode waves from the magnetosphere and outflow of a magnetar and neutron star, enabling 100\% polarization as observed. Our formulation provides a foundation for consistently addressing the nonlinear interaction of EM waves with magnetized plasma in astrophysics and laser physics.