Excitation of nonlinear one-dimensional wake waves in underdense and overdense magnetized plasma by a relativistic electron bunch

Abstract

The excitation of wake waves by a relativistic homogeneous electron bunch passing through cold magnetized plasma at equilibrium is studied for arbitrary values of the ratio of bunch density to plasma density. The analysis is based on the assumption that the magnetic field is sufficiently strong ($\omega_B\gg \omega_p$, where $\omega_p$ and $\omega_B$ are the electron plasma and cyclotron frequences respectively). The periodic and nonperiodic solutions for the momentum of plasma electrons inside and outside the bunch are analyzed. It was shown that the presence of strong external magnetic field may increase the amplitude of wake waves and the maximum transformer ratio, the latter being reached at densities of bunch lower than that in the absence of magnetic field. The optimum conditions for obtaining the maximum values of the wake field amplitude and of the transformer ratio are found.