Formation of wave-front pattern accompanied by current-driven electrostatic ion-cyclotron instabilities

Abstract

Formation of a wave-front pattern accompanied by an electrostatic ion-cyclotron instability driven by electrons drifting along a magnetic field is investigated by two-and-half dimensional particle simulations. A clear spatial wave-front pattern appears as the ion cyclotron wave grows due to the instability. When the electron stream is uniform in the system, an obliquely intersected stripe wave-front pattern is formed. When the stream has a bell-shaped pattern across the magnetic field, a V-shaped stripe wave-front pattern appears. The wave fronts have small angles with the magnetic field lines and propagate from the high-stream region to the low-stream region