Temperature effects in non-symmetric three-component counter-streaming electron plasmas: theory and computer simulation experiments

Temperature effects on the electrostatic instability of non-symmetric electron plasma systems consisting of two warm counter-streaming beams and of warm background particles are investigated linearly and nonlinearly for the case of Heaviside and moderately warm Maxwellian particle distribution functions. The non-symmetry is due to unequal temperatures, streaming velocities and particle densities in the beams. Other variable parameters investigated are the relative thermal velocities of the beams and background as well as the relative background particle concentration. (author)