A constant of motion is derived for a charged particle in the magnetic and electric fields of a circularly polarized wave with time‐variable amplitude. The wave is assumed to propagate along a uniform external magnetic field.

A special solution of the Vlasov-Maxwell system, which represents a circularly polarized Alfven wave, is derived as an entropy-maximized state. It is shown that Alfvenic correlation between transverse bulk motion and magnetic field given by the entropy-maximized distribution is consistent with the equilibrium point of the single particle system. We demonstrate that as far as the monochromatic, circularly polarized magnetic field is concerned, the resultant distribution may be a relaxed state corresponding to one in the Hall-magnetohydrodynamic system. Stability of the distribution function is numerically discussed by using an ion-hybrid simulation code. Numerical results suggest that the relaxed states in nonmonochromatic waves are different from those in monochromatic waves.

Motion of Charged Particles in Growing or Decaying Circularly Polarized Waves

Citations

On entropy-maximized velocity distributions in circularly polarized finite amplitude Alfvén waves

Self-Consistent Analysis of the Self-Resonant Electron-Cyclotron Linear Accelerator

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