Influence of Electron Collisions on the Breaking of Plasma Oscillations

Abstract

The influence of electron collisions on the breaking of plane nonlinear plasma oscillations is analyzed. Numerical calculations by the particle method and analytical consideration in the weakly nonlinear regime show that the breaking time of plasma oscillations increases with increasing electron collision frequency. The threshold value of the electron collision frequency above which no singularity in the electron density arises is found. In this case, the density maximum formed outside the symmetry plane of oscillations, the growth of which in the weakly collisional regime leads to the breaking effect, begins to decrease after some growth because of oscillation damping.