Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 April 2010
A set of nonlinear governing equations for interactions of transverse plasmons with pair plasmas is derived from Vlasov–Maxwell equations. It is shown the ponderomotive force induced by high-frequency transverse plasmons will expel the pair particles away, resulting in the formation of density cavity in which transverse plasmons are trapped. Numerical results show the envelope of wave fields will collapse and break into a filamentary structure due to the spatially inhomogeneous growth rate. The results obtained would be useful for understanding the nonlinear propagation behavior of intense electromagnetic waves in pair plasmas.