Stability of two-dimensional ion-acoustic wave packets in quantum plasmas

Journal Article · Fri Apr 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3574913· OSTI ID:21537625

Misra, A P; Marklund, M; Brodin, G ^[1]; Shukla, P K ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, Umeaa University, SE-901 87 Umeaa (Sweden)

The nonlinear propagation of two-dimensional (2D) quantum ion-acoustic waves (QIAWs) is studied in a quantum electron-ion plasma. By using a 2D quantum hydrodynamic model and the method of multiple scales, a new set of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations is derived which governs the slow modulation of the 2D QIAW packets. The oblique modulational instability (MI) is then studied by means of a corresponding nonlinear Schroedinger equation derived from the coupled nonlinear partial differential equations. It is shown that the quantum parameter H (ratio of the plasmon energy density to Fermi energy) shifts the MI domains around the k{theta} -plane, where k is the carrier wave number and {theta} is the angle of modulation. In particular, the ion-acoustic wave (IAW), previously known to be stable under parallel modulation in classical plasmas, is shown to be unstable in quantum plasmas. The growth rate of the MI is found to be quenched by the obliqueness of modulation. The modulation of 2D QIAW packets along the wave vector k is shown to be described by a set of Davey-Stewartson-like equations. The latter can be studied for the 2D wave collapse in dense plasmas. The predicted results, which could be important to look for stable wave propagation in laboratory experiments as well as in dense astrophysical plasmas, thus generalize the theory of MI of IAW propagations both in classical and quantum electron-ion plasmas.

• OSTI ID: 21537625
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 18, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3574913; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
HYDRODYNAMIC MODEL
INSTABILITY GROWTH RATES
ION ACOUSTIC WAVES
MODULATION
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PLASMA INSTABILITY
QUANTUM PLASMA
SCHROEDINGER EQUATION
STABILITY
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
WAVE PROPAGATION
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS
INSTABILITY
ION WAVES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PARTICLE MODELS
PLASMA
PLASMA WAVES
STATISTICAL MODELS
THERMODYNAMIC MODEL
WAVE EQUATIONS