1211.6036 (H. Che et al.)

The Adiabatic Phase Mixing and Heating of Electrons in Buneman Turbulence    [PDF]

H. Che, J. F. Drake, M. Swisdak, M. Goldstein

The nonlinear development of the strong Buneman instability and the associated fast electron heating in thin current layers with $\Omega_e/\omega_{pe} <1$ are explored. Phase mixing of the electrons in wave potential troughs and a rapid increase in temperature are observed during the saturation of the instability. We show that the motion of trapped electrons can be described using a Hamiltonian formalism in the adiabatic approximation. The process of separatrix crossing as electrons are trapped and de-trapped is irreversible and guarantees that the resulting electron energy gain is a true heating process.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1211.6036