Landau damping

Landau damping is a phenomenon in plasma physics where collective waves in a plasma, like ripples, gradually diminish in energy without any physical collisions. It occurs because particles traveling at speeds close to the wave’s speed can transfer energy to or from the wave, depending on their motion. When more particles gain energy from the wave than lose, the wave’s amplitude decreases naturally over time. Essentially, it’s a process where energy redistributes among particles, causing the wave to fade smoothly without direct particle collisions, much like how a synchronized crowd gradually disperses their energy.