Harris Dispersion Relation and Bernstein Modes in Dense Magnetized Quantum Plasmas

Abstract

The Bernstein wave is a well-known electrostatic eigen-mode in magnetized plasmas, and it is of broad connection to multiple disciplines, such as controlled nuclear fusions and astrophysics. In this work, we extend the Bernstein mode from classical to quantum plasmas by means of the quantum kinetic theory in a self-consistent manner, and especially the quantum version of the Harris dispersion relation is derived. The studied quantum effects appear in the form of pseudo-differential operators (\textgreek{Y}DO) in the formula, which are exactly solved using numerical methods. Furthermore, by utilizing the magnetized equilibrium Wigner function, Landau quantization and finite temperature effects are rigorously contained. It is found that behaviours of the quantum Bernstein wave departure significantly from its classical counterpart, especially when $\hbar\omega_{\mathrm{c}}$ is of the same order of the Fermi energy.