Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 5, 2025

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Nonlinear Landau damping of plasma waves with orbital angular momentum
D R Blackman1,2, R Nuter2, Ph Korneev3,4
1Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0411, USA.
Abstract:
We present, using three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, an observation that orbital angular momentum (OAM) is transferred to resonant electrons proportionally to longitudinal momentum when Laguerre-Gaussian plasma waves are subjected to Landau damping. A higher azimuthal mode number leads to a larger net orbital angular momentum transfer to particles traveling close to the phase velocity of the plasma wave, implying a population of electrons that are orbiting the same center of rotation as the plasma wave. This observation has implications on magnetic field excitation as a result of the formation and damping of OAM plasma waves. The energy distributions of electrons in damping Laguerre-Gaussian plasma waves are significantly changed as a function of azimuthal mode number. This leads to larger numbers of lower energy particles tending towards a significant narrowing of the energy distribution of accelerated particles.
Related Concept Videos
Types of Damping
Damped Oscillations
Although friction and other non-conservative...
Magnetic Damping
If, however, the bob is a slotted metal plate, the magnet produces a much smaller effect. When a slotted metal plate enters the field, an emf is induced by the change in flux; however, it is less effective because the slots limit the...
Conservation of Angular Momentum: Application
Conservation of Angular Momentum
Atomic Nuclei: Larmor Precession Frequency

