Mixed Diffusive-Convective Relaxation of a Warm Beam of Energetic Particles in Cold Plasma

This work addresses the features of fast particle transport in the bump-on-tail problem for varying the width of the fluctuation spectrum, in the view of possible applications to studies of energetic particle transport in fusion plasmas. Our analysis is built around the idea that strongly-shaped beams do not relax through diffusion only and that there exists an intermediate time scale where the relaxations are convective (ballistic-like). We cast this idea in the form of a self-consistent nonlinear dynamical model, which extends the classic equations of the quasi-linear theory to “broad” beams with internal structure. We also present numerical simulation results of the relaxation of a broad beam of energetic particles in cold plasma. These generally demonstrate the mixed diffusive-convective features of supra-thermal particle transport essentially depending on nonlinear wave-particle interactions and phase-space structures. Taking into account the modes of the stable linear spectrum is crucial for the self-consistent evolution of the distribution function and the fluctuation intensity spectrum.