Coupled transverse modulational instability of electron cyclotron waves

Transverse modulation instabilities for single and double electron cyclotron waves in finite and infinite media are investigated. This research shows that there is a intensity threshold that depends on the strength of external magnetic field. The growth rate of instability decreases as the external magnetic field strength increases. In finite media, the threshold for absolute transverse modulational instability of counterpropagating waves is increased by the external magnetic field in the small transverse wave number region. However, in large wave number region, the threshold depends scarcely on the external magnetic field. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics