Quasi-thermal fluctuations in a beam-plasma system

The quasi-thermal electrostatic field fluctuations of a stable unmagnetized electron beam-plasma system is considered. Both the beam and the background plasma are modeled as isotropic Maxwellians. Both the normal modes of the plasma and the contributions from other modes are considered. The dependence of these fluctuations on beam velocity, density, and temperature are examined. The implications of these waves for real beam-plasma systems are also discussed. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics