Beam-Plasma Heating Model

A one-dimensional ionization and heating model is applied to results of several electron-beam-plasma interaction experiments. Beam energy is deposited resistively in the plasma at a rate ¿j2, where j is the return current density and ¿ the plasma resistivity both classical and anomalous due to ion acoustic or e-e-mode turbulence. Principal energy losses include ionization, line radiation, inelastic electron impact excitation, bremsstrahlung and radiative recombination. The level of ionization and plasma heating are computed as a function of neutral gas pressure, beam rise time, pulsewidth and current density, and resistivity model. Plasma dynamics and kinetic effects such as expansion and end loss are not explicitly included in the model.