The whistler mode in a Vlasov plasma

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In this study, properties of small‐amplitude parallel and oblique whistler mode waves are investigated for a wide range of plasma parameters by numerically solving the full electromagnetic Vlasov dispersion equation. To investigate the cold‐plasma and electrostatic approximations for the whistler mode, the results are compared with results obtained using these descriptions. For large wavelengths (kc/ωi≲100), the cold‐plasma description is often accurate, while for short wavelengths (kc/ωi≳100) and sufficiently oblique propagation, the electrostatic description is often accurate. The study demonstrates that in a Vlasov plasma the whistler mode near resonance has a group velocity more nearly parallel to the magnetic field than that predicted by cold‐plasma theory.