Landau Damping

Plasma Physics

Rohit Dokara

JAP, IISc

November 16, 2018

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 1 / 21

Wave propagation in warm plasmas

Assumptions
Small amplitude
Uniform plasma
No magnetic field
Ions are immobile, only ē move

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 2 / 21

Wave propagation in warm plasmas

~ = 0)
Looking for electrostatic plasma waves (B
Vlasov equation for an unmagnetized collisionless plasma
∂fe e ~
+ ~v .∇fe − E .∇v fe = 0
∂t me
where
fe (~r , ~v , t) - electron distribution function
~ = −∇φ, ∇2 φ = − ρ = − e {n − fe d3~v }
R
E 0 0
n is the no. density of ions

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 3 / 21

Vlasov’s solution

Write fe as equilibrium + perturbation

fe (~r , ~v , t) = f0 (~v ) + f1 (~r , ~v , t)

f0 is the equilibrium distribution and f1 is the perturbation

Only for dealing with small amplitude waves
Note that Z
f0 d3~v = n

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 4 / 21

Vlasov’s solution

Using
fe (~r , ~v , t) = f0 (~v ) + f1 (~r , ~v , t)
and
∂fe e ~
+ ~v .∇fe − E .∇v fe = 0
∂t me
We get
∂f1 e ~
+ ~v .∇f1 − E .∇v f0 = 0
∂t me
and Z
2 e
∇ φ= f1 d3~v
0

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 5 / 21

Vlasov’s solution

Assume all perturbed quantities vary as exp{i(~k.~r − ωt)}

Solve for f1 from
∂f1 e ~
+ ~v .∇f1 − E .∇v f0 = 0
∂t me
and substitute in Z
e
∇2 φ = f1 d3~v
0
We get (φ has to be non-zero)
Z ~
e2 k.∇v f0 3
d ~v = − 1
0 me k 2 ω − ~k.~v

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 6 / 21

Dispersion relation

We got the dispersion relation

Z ~
e2 k.∇v f0 3
d ~v = − 1
0 me k 2 ω − ~k.~v

But there is a singularity at ω = ~k.~v

Landau pointed out this problem
His solution: do not take time dependence as exp{−iωt}, treat it as
an initial value problem:
f1 is given at t = 0 and we have to find it out at later times.

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 7 / 21

Landau’s solution

Take:
f1 (~r , ~v , t) = f1 (~v , t) exp{i ~k.~r }

~k.~v
~u = k̂
k

u~p = ~v − ~u
Z
F0 (u) = f0 (~v ) d3 u~p
Z
F1 (u, t) = f1 (~v , t) d3 u~p

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 8 / 21

Landau’s solution

Start from
∂f1 e ~
+ ~v .∇f1 − E .∇v f0 = 0
∂t me
and Z
2 e
∇ φ= f1 d3~v
0
Use Laplace transforms of F1 and E :
Z ∞
¯
F1 (u, p) = F1 (u, t)e−pt dt
0
Z ∞
Ē (p) = E (t)e−pt dt
0

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 9 / 21

Landau’s solution

Some algebra later...

Z ∞
e/0 F1 (u, t = 0)
Ē = − du
ik(k, p) −∞ p + iku
∞
e2
Z
∂F0 /∂u
(k, p) = 1 + du
0 me k −∞ ip − ku
and
e ∂F0 /∂u F1 (u, t = 0)
F¯1 = Ē +
me p + iku p + iku

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 10 / 21

Landau’s solution

(k, p) is known as the plasma dielectric function

Note that the integrals are well defined
Now we have to invert these Laplace transforms:
Z
1
a(u, t) = ā(u, p)ept dp
2πi C

where C is the Bromwich contour, which is the contour running

parallel to the imaginary axis, and lying to the right of all singularities
of F¯1 in the complex-p plane.

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 11 / 21

Landau’s solution

Deformation of contours possible when F0 (u) and F1 (u, t) vary

smoothly with u.

∞
−e/0
Z Z
1 F1 (u, t = 0)
E= [ du] ept dp
2πi C ik(k, p) −∞ p + iku
E is dominated by the zeros of (k, p).

Z
1 e ∂F0 /∂u F1 (u, t = 0)
F1 = [ Ē + ] ept dp
2πi C me p + iku p + iku
Same with F1

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 12 / 21

Landau’s solution

Behaviour depends almost exclusively on the zeros of (k, p)

∞
e2
Z
∂F0 /∂u
(k, p) = 1 + du = 0
0 me k −∞ ip − ku

If p = −iω, this equation is the same as what we got initially

Z ~
e2 k.∇v f0 3
d ~v = − 1
0 me k 2 ω − ~k.~v

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 13 / 21

Dispersion relation

Use Maxwellian distribution for F0

n −me u 2
F0 (u) = p exp{ }
2πTe /me 2Te

Taylor-expanding denominator

1 1 ku k 2 u 2
= (1 + + 2 + ...)
ω − ku ω ω ω

Treat imaginary part of frequency as a perturbation

ω ≈ <{ω} = ω0 , ω = ω0 + δω

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 14 / 21

Dispersion relation

After some complex analysis and algebra, we finally get

ω 2 ≈ ωp2 (1 + 3k 2 λ2D )

and
iπ e 2 ωp ∂F0
δω ≈ ( )
2 0 me k 2 ∂u u=ω/k
r
−i π ωp −1 3
≈ 3
exp{ 2
− }
2 2 (kλD ) 2(kλD ) 2

where λD is the Debye length and ωp is the plasma frequency

s s
Te ne 2
λD = 2
and ωp =
m e ωp 0 me

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 15 / 21

Landau damping

Damping happens due to the imaginary term

r
−i π ωp −1 3
δω ≈ 3
exp{ 2
− }
2 2 (kλD ) 2(kλD ) 2

This is the Landau damping.

Large for shorter wavelengths, negligible for longer wavelengths.

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 16 / 21

Landau damping: Verification

Equation of motion of a charged particle:

d2 x e
2
= E0 exp{i(kx − ωt)}
dt m

Taking x = x0 + u0 t in the electric field, we get

eikx0 eE0
u − u0 = [exp{i(ku0 − ω)t} − 1]
i(ku0 − ω)m

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 17 / 21

Landau damping: Verification

Particles far from u0 = ω/k will simply oscillate.

If u0 ≈ ω/k, then
eE0 ikx0
u − u0 = te
m
These are resonant particles, some of them gain energy from the
wave, and some lose energy to the wave.

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 18 / 21

Landau damping: Verification

For a particle with u0 slightly greater than ω/k

— loses energy =⇒ comes close to ω/k (more interaction)
— gains energy =⇒ goes away from ω/k

For a particle with u0 slightly lesser than ω/k

— loses energy =⇒ it goes away from ω/k
— gains energy =⇒ it comes close to ω/k (more interaction)

On average
— particles with u0 ' ω/k lose energy
— particles with u0 / ω/k gain energy

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 19 / 21

Landau damping

Intuition: Surfers on a wave

If more particles have u0 / ω/k than particles with u0 ' ω/k:

— =⇒ net transfer of energy from E ~ to the particles
— i.e., the electric field is damped.

Similar effect in galactic dynamics:

— Electrons ↔ stars, electric field ↔ gravity
— Vlasov eqn. is called Collisionless Boltzmann eqn.

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 20 / 21

References

Plasma Physics web notes, R. Fitzpatrick, U. Texas Austin

http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/plasma/Plasmahtml/

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landau damping

Rohit Dokara (JAP, IISc) Landau Damping November 16, 2018 21 / 21