Nonlinear interaction of electrostatic surface waves in a semi-infinite plasma. Part 2. Time-dependent solutions to the coupled mode equations

Abstract

The coupled mode equations which govern the nonlinear interaction of three electrostatic high-frequency surface waves and a low-frequency density perturbation are analysed considering time-dependent solutions only. We show the existence of a filamentation instability in the static limit for the low-frequency density perturbation. In the opposite case (density perturbation close to the lowfrequency surface wave resonance) we arrive at a decay instability where only surface waves take part. The parametric approximation (growth rate and threshold) as well as the nonlinear evolution of both types of instabilities are studied.