1D PIC simulation of relativistic Buneman instability

Buneman instability in the relativistic regime has been studied using a 1D electrostatic particle-in-cell code. In the non-relativistic case, Hirose et al. (Plasma Phys. 20, 481(1978)) has shown that breakdown of linear growth (saturation) occurs when |E|²/16πW₀ ∼ ζo_max, where W₀ is the initial beam kinetic energy density and ζo_max is maximum growth rate of the instability. In the weakly relativistic case, it has been confirmed using PIC simulation that scaling of saturation of Buneman instability follows a similar behavior as the non-relativistic case, whereas in the strongly relativistic case our simulation results show significant deviation from Hirose's results. In the strongly relativistic case, growth rate reduces due to relativistic corrections; so saturation occurs at a lower value compared to the non-relativistic/weakly relativistic case. (author)