Kinetic self-organization: Creation of super ion acoustic double layer

Abstract

A ‘‘super’’ ion acoustic double layer is realized through a particle simulation. This double layer is an illustration of self-organization in an open system, where a fresh, constant flux of electrons is continuously supplied from the upstream boundary and disordered (‘‘dirty’’) particles are discharged from the downstream boundary. The entropy production rate is found to be maximized in accordance with creation of normal (weak) and super (strong) double layers and to vanish as they disappear. The amplitude of the potential jump in such super double layers reaches an unexpectedly large magnitude, which is far above the electron thermal energy, and a superthermal electron beam is generated on the downstream side.