Waves in Plasmas II: Plasma Instabilities
David S. Montgomery, P-24

Jul. Wed. 14, 8.15am-9.30am,
TA-35, Bld 86, room 205

In a previous lecture by Kline, properties of plasma waves were discussed, and some important examples were shown. This lecture focuses on how free energy in a plasma (internal or external) can couple into plasma waves and drive instabilities. These instabilities often cause detrimental effects for most plasma confinement schemes. As unstable plasma waves grow to large amplitudes, nonlinear mechanisms often come into play and inhibit further growth, and examples of some of these mechanisms will be discussed. The examples presented in this lecture focus mainly on laser-plasma instabilities in the context of laser-fusion plasmas, but can be applicable to other plasma systems.