Computational Study of Nonlinear Plasma Waves.

A low-noise plasma simulation model is developed, and applied to a series of linear and nonlinear problems associated with electrostatic wave propagation in a one-dimensional, collisionless, Maxwellian plasma, in the absence of magnetic field. It is demonstrated that use of the hybrid simulation model allows economical studies to be carried out in both the linear and nonlinear regimes with better quantitative results, for comparable computing time, than can be obtained by conventional particle simulation models, or direct solution of the Vlasov equation. The characteristics of the hybrid simulation model itself are first investigated, and it is shown to be capable of verifying the theoretical linear dispersion relation at wave energy levels as low as 000001 of the plasma thermal energy. It is concluded that the hybrid simulation model constitutes a reliable and economical tool for use in the study of plasma phenomena.