Whistler-Mode Waves Growth by a Generalized Relativistic Kappa-Type Distribution

Abstract

The instability of field-aligned Whistler-mode waves in space plasmas is studied by using a recently developed generalized relativistic kappa-type (KT) distribution. Numerical calculations are performed for a direct comparison between the new KT distribution and the current kappa distribution. We show that the wave growth for the KT distribution tends to occur in the lower wave frequency (e.g., ω ≲ 0.1Ωe) due to a larger fractional number of the resonant electrons νrel (which controls the wave growth), while primarily locating in the higher wave frequency for the kappa distribution. Moreover, the relativistic anisotropy Arel by the KT distribution is found to be smaller than that by the kappa distribution, leading to a smaller peak of wave growth. The results present a further understanding of plasma wave instability particularly in those plasmas where relativistic electrons are present.