Theoretical Study of Inhomogeneity Effects on Three-Wave Parametric Instability: A WKBJ Approach

Abstract

The mechanisms by which media inhomogeneity affects the three wave parametric instability (PI), including the wave number mismatch and the parameter gradients, are investigated using an approach based on the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin-Jeffreys (WKBJ) approximation. This approach transforms the coupling wave equations into an amplitude equation and iteratively solves its characteristic polynomials. By analyzing the solutions, we proposed that the wave number of the quasi-mode, a key term in the wave number mismatch of non-resonant type PI, should be a complex root of the quasi-mode's linear dispersion equation. Based on this, we derive a unified amplification factor formula that covers the resonant and non-resonant, the forward-scattered and backward-scattered types of PI. The impact of parameter gradients on the local spatial growth rate becomes significant when the inhomogeneity exceeds 10^{-3}. Considering parameter gradients extends our approach's validity to an inhomogeneity of about 10^{-2}. This approach holds promise for more specific PI modeling in the future.