Effects of long-wavelength dissipation on beam-driven Langmuir turbulence

The effects of long-wavelength dissipation on beam-driven Langmuir turbulence are investigated using numerical simulations that include both weak and strong turbulence effects. Strong-turbulence wave collapses occur concurrently with weak-turbulence energy cascades if the long-wavelength damping is sufficiently small relative to the growth rate of the beam-unstable waves. Above a threshold damping level, only the weak-turbulence backscatter cascade is observed, and it becomes increasingly truncated as the damping increases, eventually consisting of only a single backscatter. A simple Lotka–Volterra model gives an excellent description of the periodic evolution observed in the weak-turbulence regime. Suppression of the usual backscatter cascade by long-wavelength damping enables intense beam-aligned density troughs to form, which trap and duct Langmuir waves.