Propagation of the higher-order Landau modes of electron plasma wave

Abstract

Propagation of electrostatic electron waves whose frequency is smaller than the electron plasma frequency in a large unmagnetized plasma is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. When a receiver is close to a transmitter, free-streaming electrons are detected owing to their large capacity for excitation. When the distance between the receiver and the transmitter becomes large, the third-order Landau mode is observed due to its smaller damping than that of free-streaming electrons. Finally, a dip in amplitude of the wave, caused by interference by the higher-order Landau modes, is seen. The results are in reasonable agreement with numerical calculation assuming a dipole excitation for the wave.