Stochastic Heating of Electrons in Partially Magnetized Plasmas

In partially magnetized E x B discharges, there are many instabilities that occur, like electron cyclotron drift instability and modified two stream instability. Such instabilities occur along the E x B drift direction, creating a plasma wave. As electrons undergo gyromotion and drift motion, they interact with the plasma wave, sometimes behaving stochastically depending on the Hall parameter. When the electrons behave stochastically, this leads to a net increase of temperature perpendicular to the magnetic field and anomalous cross-field transport. The conditions under which stochasticity arises will be demonstrated and verified using Hamiltonian mechanics. The effect of electron-neutral collisions will also be incorporated into the model to demonstrate the transition from a plasma in a range of Hall parameters.