Plasmon dispersion and Landau damping in the nonlinear quantum regime.

ABSTRACT

We study the dispersion properties of electron plasma waves, or plasmons, which can be excited in quantum plasmas in the nonlinear regime. In order to describe nonlinear electron response to finite amplitude plasmons, we apply the Volkov approach to nonrelativistic electrons. For that purpose, we use the Schrödinger equation and describe the electron population of a quantum plasma as a mixture of quantum states. Within the kinetic framework that we are able to derive from the Volkov solutions, we discuss the role of the wave amplitude on the nonlinear plasma response. Finally, we focus on the quantum properties of nonlinear Landau damping and study the contributions of multiplasmon absorption and emission processes.