Effect of a dc Electric Field on Beam Trapping

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Abstract
The role of an external dc electric field on the single-wave trapping dynamics found in the nonlinear evolution of the weak cold-beam-plasma instability is investigated. In the absence of wave damping the beam momentum can be clamped while the wave amplitude increases secularly in time. When damping is present a nonlinear equilibrium is attained in which the beam evolves into a singular charge clump which drifts at constant velocity throught the plasma.