c 2005 Cambridge University Press

J. Plasma Physics (2005), vol. 71, part 6, pp. 747751.

747

doi:10.1017/S0022377805003648 Printed in the United Kingdom

Rayleigh instability in non-uniform

multi-ion species magnetoplasmas
K H. H. E L-S H O R B A G Y and P. K. S H U K L A

Plasma Physics Department, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority,

Cairo, Egypt

Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany

(ps@tp4.ruhr-uni-bochum.de)
(Received 9 August 2004)

Abstract. We present the Rayleigh instability of low-frequency (in comparison

with the ion-gyrofrequency) electrostatic waves in multi-ion species plasmas containing equilibrium density gradient and transverse ion-sheared ows caused by
the dc electric eld. For this purpose, multi-uid equations are used to obtain
the governing equations for two-dimensional convective cells and pseudo-threedimensional drift waves in a non-uniform magnetoplasma. Standard procedures
are then employed to study the Raleigh instability. Thresholds and growth rates
are obtained. Applications to Hall thrusters are discussed.

1. Introduction
The RayleighTaylor (RT) instability [1, 2] occurs when a heavy uid is supported
by a lighter uid. Any perturbation of the interface grows and leads to spikes of the
heavier uid penetrating into the lighter one. In a magnetized plasma, the Rayleigh
instability can occur because the magnetic eld acts as a light uid supporting a
heavy uid (the plasma). In curved magnetic elds, the centrifugal force on the
plasma due to the charged particle motion along the curved eld lines acts as an
equivalent gravity force. When forces associated with the density gradient and
gravity oppose each other, the RT instability sets in.
However, multi-species plasmas in a Hall thruster [3] are conned in crossed
electric and magnetic elds that are non-uniform. The ions are accelerated in the
imposed electric eld to velocities on the order of tens of km s1 . Hall thrusters are
being developed at low power for use on micro-spacecraft, and at high power for
spacecraft orbit raising. Recently, Litvak et al. [4,5] studied the Rayleigh instability of high-frequency (in comparison with the lower-hybrid resonance frequency)
electrostatic waves in a non-uniform electronion plasma. They carried out a nonlocal analysis and presented stability criteria that are relevant for Hall thrusters.
In this paper, we investigate the Rayleigh instability of low-frequency (in comparison with the ion-gyrofrequency) electrostatic waves in a non-uniform multi-ion
plasma that is held in crossed electric and magnetic elds. We focus on the twodimensional convective cells and pseudo-three-dimensional drift waves. The multiuid equations are used to derive the governing equations, which are analyzed to
obtain thresholds and growth rates of the Rayleigh instability. Possible applications
to Hall thrusters are discussed.

748

Kh. H. El-Shorbagy and P. K. Shukla

2. Formulation
We consider a non-uniform magnetoplasma whose constituents are electrons and
two ion species of different charge to mass distributions. The plasma contains
x0 /x, where 0 is the dc electric potential) and
non-uniform electric (E0 =
a uniform magnetic eld zB0 . In such a plasma we have a non-uniform particle
u0 (x), where u0 (x) = (c/B0 )0 /x and c is the speed of light
drift velocity v0 = y
in vacuum.
We rst study instability of our equilibrium against two-dimensional electrostatic
convective cells whose electric eld is E = , where is the wave potential.
Assuming that the convective cell frequency is much smaller than the gyrofrequency
c = eB0 /m c, namely, |/t| c, where e is the magnitude of the electron
charge, m is the mass, and stands for the particle species ( equals e for the
electrons and 1, 2 for the two different ion species), we obtain for the perpendicular
component of the electron and ion uid velocities which are, respectively,
c
z ,
(1)
ve =
B0
and
v

c
c
=
z
B0
B0 c

c
+
z ,
t B0

(2)

where = 0 + .
Substituting (1) into the electron continuity equation, letting ne = ne0 (x) +
ne1 exp(it + iky), we obtain for the electron density perturbation ne1 ne0
ne1 =

ne0
ck
,
B0 ( kv0 ) x

(3)

where and k are the frequency and the y component of the wavevector. Furthermore, substituting (2) into the ion continuity equation, letting n = n 0 (x) +
n1 exp(it + iky), we obtain for the ion density perturbation n 1 n 0

 2

n 0
cn 0
2 u0
ck
ckn 0
2
+
n 1 =

+
. (4)
B0 ( ku0 ) x
B0 c x2
B0 c ( ku0 ) x2
Inserting (3) and (4) into Poissons equation



2
2
k = 4e ne1
Z n 1 ,
x2
=1,2

(5)

we obtain the equation for the convective cells


 Z n 0  2
 n 0
k
2
u0 (x) = 0,

k
(6)

+
2

ku
)
c
c
0


2
2
2 2
1/2
where we have assumed that =1,2
 p /c 1. Here p = (4Z e n 0 /m )
is the ion plasma frequency, and =1,2 Z n 0 = ne0 .
Equation (6) is similar to the Rayleigh equation, well known in uid dynamics [6].
In uid dynamics, instability of ows with a step-like transverse prole of velocity is
well known [7], and is customarily called the KelvinHelmholtz instability. A simplied case of such instability without the density and magnetic eld gradients
has been considered earlier [8]. When the kinks in the drift velocity prole and
the inhomogeneity factor are smeared out, the proles become similar to those

Rayleigh instability in non-uniform multi-ion species magnetoplasmas

749

existing in Hall thrusters, and the KelvinHelmholtz-type instability described

below becomes a Rayleigh instability. By using a method similar to [6], we can
derive the following dispersion relation for azimuthally propagating unstable mode
[( kV1 )2 + ( kV2 )2 ] cosh(ka) = 0,

(7)

where V1 and V2 are the ow speeds in the regions x < 0 and x > 0, respectively.
From (7) we nd that
=

k
[(V1 + V2 ) ik(V2 V1 )],
2

(8)

which admits two modes with the frequency = k[(V1 + V2 )/2], and one of them
is unstable with the growth rate
= 12 k(V2 V1 ).

(9)

The obtained solution represents a wave which is in phase with the electron ow at
the center point, thus satisfying the necessary condition for the Rayleigh instability.
Second, we study instability of our equilibrium against low-frequency (in comparison with c ) electrostatic drift perturbations whose parallel phase speed is
much smaller than the electron thermal speed. Here, inertialess electrons rapidly
thermalize along the magnetic eld direction and establish a Boltzmann distribution. The corresponding density perturbation is
ne1 = ne0

e
,
Te

(10)

where Te is the electron temperature.

Inserting (4) and (10) into (5) we obtain the drift wave equation
 2



n 0
k
c k
2 +
+
u0 (x) = 0,

k
(11)
2
x
n
(

ku
)
x
(

ku
)
0
0
0


where k2 = k 2 + 1/2 and 1/2 = (e B0 c ne0 /c n 0 Te ). Here we have assumed
that is much larger than the electron Debye radius rD = (Te /4ne0 e2 )1/2 .
The necessary condition for the Rayleigh-type instability can be readily obtained
by multiplying (11) with and assuming the complex frequency = r +ii , where
the subscripts r and i stand for the real and imaginary parts, respectively, and the
asterisk denotes the complex conjungate. We have
u0 (x) + c

(ln n 0 ) = 0.
x

(12)

Thus, an absolute instability is possible if at any point xc in the transverse direction

(perpendicular to the direction of the ow), the condition (12) is satised.
Further linear stability shall be discussed in detail for some specic proles of
the shear plasma ow and multi-ion species density. We suppose that the plasma
ow prole is described by the following well-behaved analytic function
u0 (x) = u + a tanh(x),

(13)

where 1 denes the characteristic width (slope) of the shear ow. We now proceed
calculating the appropriate derivatives of u0 (x) by introducing a new variable =
tanh(x), and by assuming a physically interesting case when u = /k. We then

750

Kh. H. El-Shorbagy and P. K. Shukla

rewrite (11) in the form


2
k2 + 1 1
1
d
1
c 1 dn 0
2 d
(1 ) 2 2 + 2
+ 2

= 0. (14)
d
d
2 1 2
1 2
n 0 2 d
Obviously, for n 0 satisfying
n 0 = (1 2 )1/2 c (1 tanh2 (x))1/2 c

(15)

the solution of (14) can be written in the form of the Legendre functions [911] of
the degree 1 and of the order = (k2 + 1)1/2 /, i.e.
() = C1 P1 () + C2 Q1 (),

(16)

where


 /2
+1

=
,
(2 ) 1



 /2
 /2 
1
+1
exp(i)

Q1 () =
( + )
( + 2)
.
2(2 ) sin()
+1
1
P1 ()

The only localized solutions for 1, i.e. for x , are possible if

k2 + 1
= 1.
(17)
2
The wave becomes convectively unstable (growing in space) because of the resonant
interaction with the ion ow, provided that
1/2

1
.
(18)
k > 2 2 1

We obtain from (11) the following local dispersion relation for the multi-ion
species that is modied due to sheared ion ows
=

c k
k 
2 x (ln n 0 ) + ku0 + k 2 u0 .
k

(19)

Assuming a small deviation k of the stable value of the wavenumber k, letting

= r + ii in (14), and following the analysis in [9, 10], we readily obtain the
growth rate


4ak(2 1/2 1) du0
i =
.
(20)
dx
(2a2 1)
x=0

Now, for the proles of u0 (x) and n 0 , given by (13) and (15), using the Rayleigh
condition (12), we obtain the following relation between the ow width 1 and the
critical point for the instability [11]

1
tanh( xc ) = 1
(21)
2a2
Thus, an absolute instability at the critical point xc for modes with wavenumbers
satisfying the condition (18) can be expected. Furthermore, it follows from (21)
that there appears a limiting value of L 0.71 above which the critical point xc
becomes complex, i.e. the Rayleigh-type instability disappears.

Rayleigh instability in non-uniform multi-ion species magnetoplasmas

751

3. Conclusions
In this paper, we have investigated the Rayleigh instability of two-dimensional
convective cells and pseudo-three-dimensional drift perturbations in a non-uniform
multi-ion species plasma containing equilibrium density and transverse velocity
gradients. The latter appears due to a non-uniform dc electric eld, which produces
the E0 B0 drift of the plasma particles. Such a situation is quite common for
Hall thrusters comprising multi-ion species. Our results show that the presence of
sheared ion ows can cause instability of ute-like convective cells and pseudothree-dimensional drift wave perturbations. However, we nd that instability criteria is sensitive to the choice of equilibrium density and sheared ion ow proles.
Physically, instability is attributed to resonance interactions between electrostatic
modes and sheared ion ows. In conclusion, we stress that in order to have a
successful operation of Hall thrusters, low-frequency macroscopic instabilities, as
discussed here, should be avoided.
Acknowledgement
This research was partially supported by the International Atomic Energy Authority, Vienna.

References
[1] Kadomtsev, B. B. 1965 Plasma Turbulence. New York: Academic.
[2] Goldston, R. J. and Rutherford, P. H. 1995 Introduction to Plasma Physics. Bristol:
Institute of Physics.
[3] Raitses, Y., Keidar, M., Staack, D. and Fisch, N. J. 2002 J. Appl. Phys. 92, 4906.
[4] Litvak, A. A., Raitses, Y. and Fisch, N. J. 1999 Proc. 38th Joint Propulsion Conf.,
Indianapolis, IN, 2002. Paper AIAA 2002-3825. Washington, DC: American Institute
of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
[5] Litvak, A. A. and Fisch, N. J. 2004 Phys. Plasmas 11, 1379.
[6] Lin, C. C. 1955 Theory of Hydrodynamic Stability. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
[7] Helmholtz, H. 1868 Ueber discontinuirliche FluessigkeitsBewegungen. Akad. Wiss.
Berlin: Monatsber.
[8] Kapulkin, A. M. and Prisnyakov, V. F. 1995 Proc. 24th Int. Electric Propulsion Conf.,
Moscow, Russia, 1115 September 1995, IEPC Paper 95-37.
[9] Vranjes, J. and Jovanovic, D. 1996 Phys. Plasmas 3, 2275.
[10] Vranjes, J. and Tanaka, M. Y. 2002 Phys. Plasmas 9, 4379.
[11] Vranjes, J., Petrovic, D. and Shukla, P. K. 2001 Phys. Lett. A 278, 231.