Compressive and rarefactive solitary waves in nonthermal two-component plasmas
- Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281, B-9000 Gent (Belgium)
- School of Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000 (South Africa)
Using a Sagdeev pseudopotential formalism where nonlinear structures are stationary in a comoving frame, large ion-acoustic solitary waves and double layers have been studied in plasmas with positive ions and nonthermal electrons. The velocity range of positive, compressive solitary waves is limited by the ion density reaching infinite compression, whereas negative, rarefactive solitary waves and double layers can exist when the electron nonthermality exceeds a certain minimum. There are even regions of coexistence, the limits of which can be elucidated by considering the properties of the special Sagdeev pseudopotential at the acoustic speed. In particular, when the compositional parameters and Mach numbers admit only compressive or rarefactive solitary structures, these have to be superacoustic, their amplitude vanishing at the acoustic speed. When both compressive and rarefactive modes can occur, one of them is Korteweg-de Vries (KdV)-like, the other having a non-KdV character, with a finite amplitude at the acoustic speed.
- OSTI ID:
- 21421253
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 17, Issue 10; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3494245; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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