Effect of Electron Temperature on Absolute Instabilities in Loss-Cone Plasmas

Raising electron temperature in an infinite homogeneous plasma of electrons and hot ions tends toward stabilization of the absolute instabilities caused by a nonmonotonic or “loss-cone” distribution of ion velocities perpendicular to the external magnetic field. When the ion plasma frequency exceeds the ion gyrofrequency, this stabilization is incomplete although the residual instabilities have small growth rates and large axial wave lengths, permitting some degree of control by adjusting plasma parameters.