Wave-breaking limits for nonquasistatic oscillations in a warm one-dimensional electron plasma

Abstract

In this work, wave breaking for general non-quasi-static oscillations in warm plasma is investigated using Lagrangian methods. In particular, the effects of secular behavior on wave-breaking limits are explored, and it is shown that thermal effects can sometimes prevent wave breaking by curbing secular behavior. The oscillation equations for fully relativistic warm plasma are cast into Lagrangian form, and wave-breaking limits are derived for waves in warm plasma having nonconstant density. These results have important applications in electron acceleration schemes that employ a wakefield or a slow beat wave propagating down a density gradient.