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The beam pulse amplifier in space and laboratory plasmas
We discuss the physical background of the a new mechanism in which short electromagnetic pulses can be strongly amplified by interaction with suprathermal electrons in a near-equilibrium near-uniform magnetised plasmalayer.Thisoccursunderthespecialconditionthatthewavephaseandgroupspeedsalongthefieldlines are equal, a condition met by extraordinary mode electromagnetic waves propagating in the medium. In this casethepulseinteractsstronglyviatheČerenkovresonancewithsuprathermalelectronsmovingalongthefield linesatthesamespeedasthepulse,leadingtorapidwavegrowth,theinstabilitywithinthepulsebeingshown tobeequivalenttothatofamonoenergeticelectronbeammovingalongthefieldlinesinaninfiniteuniform plasma. This effect accounts for basic features of powerful pulsed electromagnetic emissions in planetary magnetospheres,specificallywhistler-modechorusemissionsinspaceplasmas,theremarkableradioemissions observedfrombrowndwarfobjects,aswellasinlaboratoryplasma.