In the fast ignition scenario for inertial fusion, a relativistic
electron beam is supposed to travel from the side of the fusion pellet to
its core. One one hand, a relativistic electron beam passing through a
plasma is a highly unstable system. On the other hand, the pellet core is
denser than its side by four orders of magnitude so that the beam makes
its way through a important density gradient. We here investigate the
effect of this gradient on the instabilities. It is found that they should
develop so early that gradient effects are negligible in the linear
phase.
Numerical Study of Plasma Density Gradient Effects on Farley-Buneman Waves Traveling in the Equatorial E Region
