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Electron-acoustic solitons in a weakly relativistic plasma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2009

R. L. Mace ,
M. A. Hellberg ,
R. Bharuthram  and
S. Baboolal
R. L. Mace
Affiliation:
Plasma Physics Research Institute, Department of Physics, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa
M. A. Hellberg
Affiliation:
Plasma Physics Research Institute, Department of Physics, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa
R. Bharuthram
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Durban-Westville, Durban, South Africa, and Plasma Physics Research Institute, University of Natal
S. Baboolal
Affiliation:
Department of Computer Science, University of Durban-Westville, Durban, South Africa, and Plasma Physics Research Institute, University of Natal
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Abstract

Weakly relativistic electron-acoustic solitons are investigated in a two-electron-component plasma whose cool electrons form a relativistic beam. A general Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation is derived, in the small-|ø| domain, for a plasma consisting of an arbitrary number of relativistically streaming fluid components and a hot Boltzmann component. This equation is then applied to the specific case of electron-acoustic waves. In addition, the fully nonlinear system of fluid and Poisson equations is integrated to yield electron-acoustic solitons of arbitrary amplitude. It is shown that relativistic beam effects on electron-acoustic solitons significantly increase the soliton amplitude beyond its non-relativistic value. For intermediate- to large-amplitude solitons, a finite cool-electron temperature is found to destroy the balance between nonlinearity and dispersion, yielding soliton break-up. Also, only rarefactive electronacoustic soliton solutions of our equations are found, even though the relativistic beam provides a positive contribution to the nonlinear coefficient of the KdV equation, describing relativistic, nonlinear electron-acoustic waves.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Plasma Physics , Volume 47 , Issue 1 , February 1992 , pp. 61 - 74
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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