DOUBLE-CROSS INSTABILITY - AN ABSOLUTE INSTABILITY CAUSED BY COUNTER-PROPAGATING POSITIVE-ENERGY AND NEGATIVE-ENERGY WAVES

Authors
BRIZARD AJ MOREHEAD JJ KAUFMAN AN TRACY ER
Citation
Aj. Brizard et al., DOUBLE-CROSS INSTABILITY - AN ABSOLUTE INSTABILITY CAUSED BY COUNTER-PROPAGATING POSITIVE-ENERGY AND NEGATIVE-ENERGY WAVES, Physical review letters, 77(8), 1996, pp. 1500-1503
Citations number
17
Categorie Soggetti
Physics
Journal title
Physical review letters → ACNP
ISSN journal
00319007
Volume
77
Issue
8
Year of publication
1996
Pages
1500 - 1503
Database
ISI
SICI code
0031-9007(1996)77:8<1500:DI-AAI>2.0.ZU;2-H
Abstract
The resonant interaction of a negative-energy wave with a positive-ene rgy wave gives rise to a linear instability. Whereas a single crossing of rays in a nonuniform medium leads to a convectively saturated inst ability, we show that a double crossing can yield an absolute instabil ity, if the two rays are oppositely directed. We obtain expressions fo r the growth rate and the threshold, and present one application.