Publication Date:
2011-08-19
Description:
The problem of ascertaining the dynamical stability and the existence of Landau damping in static, isotropic 'collisionless' star clusters is addressed. The second-order formalism of Kandrup and Sygnet (1985) is applied to a homogeneous and isotropic plasma, demonstrating formally that the unperturbed configuration will always be stable and that the modes must be purely oscillatory. The form of these modes is explicitly examined, culminating in an analytic expression for the time evolution of the density induced by an initial perturbation. It is shown how these considerations can be adapted trivially to localized, nonradial disturbances of a self-gravitating system of stars. The possible existence of gravitational Landau damping for more generic perturbations is discussed.
Keywords:
ASTROPHYSICS
Type:
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X); 309; 176-182
Format:
text
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