Preference of Right-Handed Whistler Modes and Helicon Discharge Directionality due to Plasma Density Gradients

2022/12/21 by M. Granetzny, O. Schmitz, Granetzny, Marcel +3 · 1 citation
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Dust and Plasma Wave Phenomena #FOS: Physical sciences #Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics #Plasma Diagnostics and Applications #Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2212.11401

openalex publication_date 2022/12/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Whistlers are magnetized plasma waves in planetary magnetospheres. Bounded whistlers, known as helicons, can create high-density laboratory plasmas. We demonstrate reversal of the plasma discharge direction by changing either antenna helicity or magnetic field direction. Simulations reproduce these findings only in the presence of a radial density gradient. Inclusion of such a gradient in the wave equation gives rise to azimuthal shear currents which for the first time consistently explains the preference of right- over left-handed whistlers and the discharge directionality in helicon plasmas.

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