Slow down of a globally neutral relativistic e−e+ beam shearing the vacuum

Abstract

The microphysics of relativistic collisionless shear flows is investigated in a configuration consisting of a globally neutral, relativistic beam streaming through a hollow plasma/dielectric channel. We show through multidimensional particle-in-cell simulations that this scenario excites the mushroom instability (MI), a transverse shear instability on the electron-scale, when there is no overlap (no contact) between the beam and the walls of the hollow plasma channel. The onset of the MI leads to the conversion of the beam’s kinetic energy into magnetic (and electric) field energy, effectively slowing down a globally neutral body in the absence of contact. The collisionless shear physics explored in this configuration may operate in astrophysical environments, particularly in highly relativistic and supersonic settings where macroscopic shear processes are stable.