Ballooning precessional instabilities in a single-cell hot-electron plasma

A fourth-order differential eigenequation along a field line for a hot-electron plasma in a single-cell mirror is derived in the large hot-electron precession frequency limit. This eigenequation is investigated analytically in the electromagnetic-flute limit and numerically. Electrostatic ballooning modes can couple with the hot-electron precessional motion and lead to instability if the frequency matching condition is satisfied. The new stability boundary due to this coupling is explored numerically in appropriate parameter space