Date of Award

Fall 2025

Project Type

Dissertation

Program or Major

Physics

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

First Advisor

Kai Germaschewski

Second Advisor

Amy Keesee

Third Advisor

Lynn Kistler

Abstract

Bernstein–Greene–Kruskal modes commonly manifest as electron holes and electrostatic solitary waves in space plasmas. These Debye-scale structures are nonlinear solutions to the steady-state Vlasov–Poisson system. Solutions in one dimension are highly tractable mathematically, observationally, and computationally, and are relatively well-understood. Higher-dimensional, magnetized plasmas are less amenable to study, however. Following a 20-year history of theoretical developments in two-dimensional BGK modes, this thesis presents the first high-resolution 2D and 3D simulations thereof. Stability conditions and phase-space dynamics are discovered and discussed. The simulated modes are ultimately compared to observed electron holes and modern width-amplitude relations. In addition, a significant portion of this thesis documents the author’s programmatic contributions to the Plasma Simulation Code and other codes used throughout the scientific work of this thesis.

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