Electrostatic supersolitons and double layers at the acoustic speed
- Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281, B–9000 Gent (Belgium)
Supersolitons are characterized by subsidiary extrema on the sides of a typical bipolar electric field signature or by association with a root beyond double layers in the fully nonlinear Sagdeev pseudopotential description. It has been proven that supersolitons may exist in several plasmas having at least three constituent species, but they cannot be found in weakly nonlinear theory. Another recent aspect of pseudopotential theory is that in certain plasma models and parameter regimes solitons and/or double layers can exist at the acoustic speed, having no reductive perturbation counterparts. Importantly, they signal coexistence between solitons having positive and negative polarity, in that one solution can be realized at a time, depending on infinitesimal perturbations from the equilibrium state. Weaving the two strands together, we demonstrate here that one can even find supersolitons and double layers at the acoustic speed, as illustrated using the model of cold positive and negative ions, in the presence of nonthermal electrons following a Cairns distribution. This model has been discussed before, but the existence and properties of supersolitons at the acoustic speed were not established at the time of publication.
- OSTI ID:
- 22407987
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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