PARAMETRIC DECAY IN A 2-ELECTRON-TEMPERATURE PLASMA

Nonlinear decay of an ordinary electromagnetic pump wave into an electroacoustic wave and an upper-hybrid wave in a two-electron-temperature plasma has been investigated analytically. In contrast with the work of Sharma, Ramamurthy & Yu (1984), it is found that the decay can take place in the absence of the restrictive condition Ti ≫ Te and the plasma be magnetized. Using a hydrodynamical model of the plasma, the nonlinear dispersion relation and growth rate are obtained. A comparison of the present investigation is made with earlier work, and its possible application to the ELMO bumpy torus is discussed. © 1990, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.