Electron hole generation and propagation in an inhomogeneous collisionless plasma.

The generation of "trains" of electron holes in phase space due to an external electrostatic disturbance is investigated by using a Vlasov-Ampere code with open boundary conditions. Electron holes are produced mostly during the initial phase of the wave-plasma interaction, with a given drift velocity which is maintained until they exit the integration box, even in the presence of plasma inhomogeneities. They present macroscopic features, a dipolar electrostatic field and an electron density perturbation, which can be exploited for diagnostic purposes. Their equilibrium is intrinsically kinetic, in that they are accompanied by a stationary hole in the electron distribution function.