Steady state stability features of the electron–positron plasma diode in a mode with particle reflection from potential extrema

Abstract

Steady state stability features of a diode with electrons and positrons entering from opposite boundaries and moving without collisions in plasma are numerically studied. The most complex regime when charged particles are reflected from potential barriers is considered. This problem arises, in particular, when modeling pulsar diodes. A small perturbation evolution is studied. It has been established that at the initial stage of the process the perturbation amplitude changes in time according to an exponential law. It is shown that stationary solutions with a potential barrier for electrons located near the electron-emitting electrode and a potential barrier for positrons located near the opposite electrode are stable when the inter-electrode distance is below a certain threshold. As the inter-electrode distance increases, the solutions become unstable. Solutions of another type when barriers reflecting particles are located in the opposite to the emitting electrode parts of the gap are also studied. However, these solutions turned out to be unstable.