Interaction of Strong X-mode Waves with Magnetized Pair Plasmas
Abstract
The interaction of strong (a0>1), superluminal X-mode electromagnetic waves with magnetized pair plasma falls into two regimes set by εB≡ a0ωB/ω0, the ratio of the wave strength parameter to its frequency, in units of cyclotron frequency. For εB<1 the wave propagates until induced scattering disrupts it. Using analytical theory and kinetic simulations, we show that the background magnetic field introduces a restoring frequency ΩB to scattering; when ΩB exceeds the scattering rate, the unattenuated length grows from ≃εp−2/3 to ≃εB1/2/εp wavelengths (εp≡ a0ωp/ω0; ωp is the plasma frequency). When a02>εB>1, the plasma current is nonlinear, and the wave is damped while riding a motional electric field, so one half-cycle appears attenuated. This framework has implications for the duration of fast radio bursts and whether they can escape their surroundings.
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BibTeX
@misc{sridhar2026interaction,
title = {{Interaction of Strong X-mode Waves with Magnetized Pair Plasmas}},
author = {Navin Sridhar},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.35849},
eprint = {2610.35849},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.35849},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Interaction of Strong X-mode Waves with Magnetized Pair Plasmas
AU - Navin Sridhar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.35849
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.35849
AB - The interaction of strong (a_0>1), superluminal X-mode electromagnetic waves with magnetized pair plasma falls into two regimes set by ε_B≡ a_0ω_B/ω_0, the ratio of the wave strength parameter to its frequency, in units of cyclotron frequency. For ε_B<1 the wave propagates until induced scattering disrupts it. Using analytical theory and kinetic simulations, we show that the background magnetic field introduces a restoring frequency Ω_B to scattering; when Ω_B exceeds the scattering rate, the unattenuated length grows from ≃ε_p^−2/3 to ≃ε_B^1/2/ε_p wavelengths (ε_p≡ a_0ω_p/ω_0; ω_p is the plasma frequency). When a_0^2>ε_B>1, the plasma current is nonlinear, and the wave is damped while riding a motional electric field, so one half-cycle appears attenuated. This framework has implications for the duration of fast radio bursts and whether they can escape their surroundings.
ER -