DYNAMICS OF PLASMA EXCITED BY THE PERIODIC SEQUENCE OF RELATIVISTIC ELECTRON BUNCHES

Wake wave excited by the resonant sequence of electron bunches grows to high amplitude after passage of several bunches. As electron bunches are injected into plasma at the same point, it results to high-amplitude plasma oscillations at the limited area in the plasma volume. Relaxation of the wake wave causes plasma heating via Landau damping. It moves to background plasma pressing-out from this area. So plasma density spatial distribution is disturbed. Such density profile deformation causes plasma frequency deviation, so that initial Cherenkov resonance is broken. Local plasma density decreases almost linearly with time. Front of the density perturbation has the shape similar to collision less shock wave.