Amplitude Equations for Electrostatic Waves: universal singular behavior in the limit of weak instability

Abstract

An amplitude equation for an unstable mode in a collisionless plasma is derived from the dynamics on the unstable manifold of the equilibrium $F_0(v)$.\\ The mode eigenvalue arises from a simple zero of the dielectric $\epsilon_{{k}}(z)$; as the linear growth rate $\gamma$ vanishes, the eigenvalue merges with the continuous spectrum on the imaginary axis and disappears. The evolution of the mode amplitude $\rho(t)$ is studied using an expansion in $\rho$. As $\glim$, the expansion coefficients diverge, but these singularities are absorbed by rescaling the amplitude: $\rho(t)\equiv\gamma^2\,r(\gamma t)$. This renders the theory finite and also indicates that the electric field exhibits trapping scaling $E\sim\gamma^2$. These singularities and scalings are independent of the specific $F_0(v)$ considered. The asymptotic dynamics of $r(\tau)$ depends on $F_0$ only through $\exp{i\xi}$ where $d\epsilon_{{k}} /dz=|{\epsilon'_{{k}}}|\exp{-i\xi/2}$. Similar results also hold for the electric field and distribution function.