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The nonlinear small-amplitude behavior of a collisionless plasma is studied at the mirror flute instability threshold. A treatment assuming a “constant gravity” model of the mirror field predicts saturation of the m = 1 mode amplitude in disagreement with experiment. A model using nonconstant gravity yields the previous threshold mode and an upper damped mode. Nonlinear analysis shows the upper mode to be nonlinearly unstable. If the lower mode reaches sufficient amplitude, it triggers the upper and is itself shut off. The resulting behavior is in general agreement with experiments.
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Simon et al. (1972) studied this question.
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