Nonlinear propagation of coherent electromagnetic waves in a dense magnetized plasma

Journal Article · Sun Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4731733· OSTI ID:22072545

Shukla, P K ^[1]; Eliasson, B ^[1]; Stenflo, L ^[2]

---

1. International Centre for Advanced Studies in Physical Sciences and Institute for Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Ruhr University Bochum, D-44780 Bochum (Germany)
2. Department of Physics, Linkoeping University, SE-58183 Linkoeping (Sweden)

We present an investigation of the nonlinear propagation of high-frequency coherent electromagnetic waves in a uniform quantum magnetoplasma. Specifically, we consider nonlinear couplings of right-hand circularly polarized electromagnetic-electron-cyclotron (CPEM-EC) waves with dispersive shear Alfven (DSA) and dispersive compressional Alfven (DCA) perturbations in plasmas composed of degenerate electron fluids and non-degenerate ion fluids. Such interactions lead to amplitude modulation of the CPEM-EC wave packets, the dynamics of which is governed by a three-dimensional nonlinear Schroedinger equation (NLSE) with the frequency shift arising from the relativistic electron mass increase in the CPEM-EC fields and density perturbations associated with the DSA and DCA perturbations. Accounting for the electromagnetic and quantum forces, we derive the evolution equation for the DSA and DCA waves in the presence of the magnetic field-aligned ponderomotive force of the CPEM-EC waves. The NLSE and the driven DSA and DCA equations are then used to investigate the modulational instability. The relevance of our investigation to laser-plasma interaction experiments and the cores of white dwarf stars is pointed out.

• OSTI ID: 22072545
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 19, Issue 7; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ALFVEN WAVES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONS
LASER-PRODUCED PLASMA
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MODULATION
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PONDEROMOTIVE FORCE
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SCHROEDINGER EQUATION
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
WAVE PACKETS
WAVE PROPAGATION
WHITE DWARF STARS