Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Oxygen acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized plasma

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA)
; ;  [1]
  1. Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH (USA)

Ion-acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized plasma containing an arbitrary mixture of H{sup +} and O{sup +} ions are studied. A nonlinear wave equation has been derived from the Poisson-Vlasov equations, including a uniform magnetic field and dissipation due to reflected electrons. When dissipation is ignored, the equation has soliton solutions associated with both oxygen and hydrogen acoustic modes, which can be either rarefactive or compressive depending on the ion concentrations and the electron/ion temperature ratio and, more weakly, on the bulk drifts of the species. If electron reflection is included, the solitary wave can be intensified. Under somewhat restrictive conditions the oxygen solitary wave is rarefactive and propagates with a velocity comparable to that observed by the Viking satellite. The three-dimensional solitons obey a relation of scales parallel to the magnetic field and in the transverse direction. Computer simulations of one-dimensional versions of the nonlinear wave equation are represented.

OSTI ID:
5832782
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA) Vol. 94:A2; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English