Nonlinear Dynamics of a Plasma-Filled Diode in the Presence of a Magnetic Field

The nonlinear interaction process between the electrons and the immobile ions in a plasma-filled diode has been studied via two different approaches: (1) solving the coupled analytical integral equations and (2) simulating the system by running a particle-in-cell code PDP1 (plasma devices planar 1D). The investigations have extended the analysis to the case where the effect of a magnetic field is considered in the diode. The plasma-filled diode can still operate in four distinct dynamical regimes - steady, oscillatory, chaotic, and unstable - if the magnetic field is relatively weak below the diode cutoff threshold.