Past exam of the collisionless plasma physics course of the University of Oxford 2025 1 d Solution 2026-10-25
For parallel propagation, use the undivided dispersion relation:The five requested cases are:
- Plasma oscillations: and . With negligible ion response, , independently of in this cold approximation.
- Cold-plasma right-handed waves: , , , for propagation along . At a fixed point, the real electric field rotates from towards , in the sense of electron gyration.
- Cold-plasma left-handed waves: , , . The real electric field rotates in the opposite sense.
- Ordinary plasma waves: for perpendicular propagation, , , and . Their dispersion relation is .
- Extraordinary plasma waves: for perpendicular propagation, , , and . In general the electric field has both longitudinal and transverse components.
For the perpendicular cases the undivided dispersion relation factors as , up to an overall nonzero factor. This also identifies the extraordinary plasma wave plasma wave resonance at .
Past exam of the collisionless plasma physics course of the University of Oxford 2025 1 f Solution 2026-10-25
For the ordinary plasma wave, choose and . The equations in a give andThe driven particle motion is entirely parallel to : the parallel Lorentz force has no magnetic contribution. Nevertheless, the ordinary plasma wave is electromagnetic, since and the Faraday law givesAn electrostatic plasma wave instead has and zero perturbed magnetic field. Alignment with the equilibrium magnetic field does not make a wave electrostatic. At the exact plasma wave cutoff , this propagating-wave distinction becomes degenerate.
Past exam of the collisionless plasma physics course of the University of Oxford 2025 2 a Solution 2026-10-25
Write the ordinary plasma wave asThe eikonal function is dimensionless; it varies by order across a background scale , where . The amplitudes and equilibrium plasma parameters vary on , so and . The equilibrium is stationary, so is constant along propagation. Assume infinitesimal fields, negligible collisions, , negligible ion response, and a fixed ordinary plasma wave polarization with and spatial variation along . The WKB approximation is used away from wave turning points and plasma wave resonances.
Replacing derivatives on the fast factor by and in the Maxwell equations reproduces the local magnetized cold-plasma dielectric tensor equation of b. In this one-dimensional ordinary plasma wave geometry, the Maxwell equations and the local cold parallel current density in fact give the scalar equation directly:For , substitution givesThe leading eikonal equation is , and the next order gives , hence the flux-normalized WKB amplitude . In particular, require and ; these fail at the wave turning points.
Past exam of the collisionless plasma physics course of the University of Oxford 2025 2 g Solution 2026-10-25
For real , the wave equation has the conserved Wronskian fluxFor this ordinary plasma wave, the time-averaged Poynting flux is . With no incident wave from the right, evaluating the same Wronskian flux on both sides provesThe coefficients in f also satisfy this identity algebraically, before the opaque-barrier expansion.
A plasma wave resonance makes the ideal cold description singular and requires an appropriate causal regularization. A passive resonant layer can absorb wave energy into particle motion, or convert it into another branch. For the two measured outgoing channels one then haswith when resonant absorption or uncounted mode conversion occurs. A numerical value of requires the layer physics; a resonance by itself does not specify a universal loss fraction. Counting all converted and absorbed energy preserves conservation of energy.
Past exam of the collisionless plasma physics course of the University of Oxford 2025 2 h Solution 2026-10-25
The barrier wavenumber is . The substitution givesThus the leading transmission coefficient isAt fixed , increasing the column width or peak plasma frequency suppresses transmission exponentially. Raising towards narrows the evanescent region and increases transmission. However, when becomes order one or smaller the two wave turning points interact; the opaque-barrier WKB approximation cannot be extrapolated to claim at . Smooth matching to an exterior is also implicit in the leading result; at the stated profile joins continuously to vacuum.
Local squared wavenumber and evanescent barrier for an ordinary plasma wave
. Details. Wronskian flux 2026-10-25
For with real , differentiation gives . This conserved Wronskian measures directed wave flux. In a one-dimensional ordinary plasma wave, the mean Poynting flux is in Gaussian units. It proves for a lossless two-channel scattering problem.
