Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 January 1999
The resonant interaction of compressive and rarefactive ion acoustic solitons is studied experimentally in a multicomponent plasma containing additional negative-ion species. With increasing concentration of negative ions, the resonance amplitude increases for compressive ion acoustic solitons when the angle of collision is fixed. When the negative-ion concentration is larger than a critical value, the rarefactive ion acoustic solitons undergo resonant interaction for a lower resonance amplitude. Theoretical predictions of the Korteweg–de Vries equation agree with experimental findings.