NONLINEAR PROPERTIES OF SPACE-CHARGE WAVES IN A SYSTEM COMPOSED OF A RELATIVISTIC ELECTRON-BEAM AND A KERR-LIKE MEDIUM

Nonlinear properties of space-charge waves which propagate along a rel ativistic electron beam drifting near the surface of a semi-infinite K err-like medium are investigated. In the analysis of the problem, we t ake into account only the Kerr nonlinearity of the medium, using the l inear fluid model for the electron beam. When both the beam thickness and the gap between the Kerr-like medium and the electron beam are muc h smaller than the vacuum wavelengths of the space-charge waves, the n umerical results show that bistable phenomena appear between the total power carried by space-charge waves and the wave number, and also bet ween the drift velocity of the electron beam and the wave number. (C) 1998 Scripta Technica.