The crossfield current-driven ion-acoustic instability in a collisional plasma

Using the Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook collision model, the effects of charge-transfer and elastic ion-neutral collisions on the crossfield beam-driven ion-acoustic instability in a double plasma device are studied. Elastic collisions cause a slowing of the beam, while charge exchange gives rise to an exponential decay in ion beam density. The resultant damping of the instability is calculated and compared with experiment.