The exact solution of one-dimensional nonrelativistic Vlasov equation: Antitropic electron beams and Landau damping

Abstract

The exact stationary solution of one-dimensional non-relativistic Vlasov equation is obtained in the article. It is shown that in the energy exchange with the self-consistent longitudinal electric field, both wave trapped charged particles and the passing ones take part. It is proved that the trapped electron distribution is fundamentally different from distribution functions described by other authors, which used the Bernstein, Greene, and Kruskal method. So, the correct distribution function is characterized by its sudden change at the equality of wave and electrons' velocity but not on the edges of the potential well. This jump occurs for any arbitrary small value of wave potential. It was also found that the energy density of fast electrons trapped by the wave is less than the energy density of slow trapped electrons. This leads to the fact that the energy of the self-consistent electric field may both increase and decrease due to the nonlinear Landau damping. The conditions under which a similar effect can be observed are defined. Also for the first time, it is shown that the self-generated strong electric field always produces antitropic electron beams.