STIMULATED SCATTERING OF HIGH-POWER RADIO-WAVES IN MULTICOMPONENT COLLISIONAL PLASMAS

The nonlinear coupling of intense radio waves with the low-frequency e lectrostatic perturbations of multi-component collisional plasmas is c onsidered. Assuming the presence of two distinct groups of electrons a nd singly charged ions, we obtain equations for the radio wave sideban ds and plasma slow motions that are driven by the combined effects of the radiation pressure and the differential Joule heating of the elect rons. The mode coupling equations are useful for studying various type s of stimulated scattering instabilities and envelope soliton formatio n. The relevance of our investigation to the simultaneous generation o f density and temperature fluctuations by high-power radio waves is po inted out. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.