A previous stability condition (see Throumoulopoulos and Tasso, Phys. Plasmas 14, 122104 (2007)) for incompressible plasmas with field-aligned flows is extended to gravitating plasmas, including self-gravitation. It turns out that the stability condition is affected by gravitation through the equilibrium values only.

The Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation is derived for two-dimensional propagations of electrostatic solitons in unmagnetized dense pair-plasmas. The reductive perturbation method is employed and two-dimensional electrostatic potential hump structures are obtained. The conditions for a stable two-dimensional solitary structure are discussed using energy consideration method. The numerical results are also presented by considering the parameters for the outer layers of white dwarfs/neutron stars.

Electric interaction between two negatively charged particles of different sizes on a mixed background of positive, negative, and neutral particles is complex and has relevance both to dusty plasmas and to transports in ionized fluids in general. We consider particularly effects during interaction that particle velocity and neutrals in the background may have on the well-known “dressing” and electric shielding that is due to the charged part of the background and how the interaction energy is modified because of this. Without such effects earlier works show the interaction becomes attractive when the distance between the two particles is a bit larger than the Debye length. We use a model where one of the two interacting particles has a radius much larger than the Debye length and the other a radius shorter than the Debye length. Then, the complex interaction may be more easily determined for particle separation up to a few Debye lengths. We consider the larger particle as stationary while the smaller may move. We find quite simple analytic expressions for the dressed particle interaction energy over the whole range of speed of the incoming smaller particle, assumed coming head on the larger particle, and the whole range of neutral particle densities. We also derive a distance of closest approach of small and large particles for all such parameter values. This distance is important for excluded volume estimations for moving small charged particles in media populated by large charged particles on a background as described above, and hence, important for determining the speed of flow of the smaller particles through such media.

This paper is concerned to give a definitive account of a physical situation of current practical interest by examining the plasma solution for a plasma in coaxial geometry with an applied axial magnetic field. It builds on earlier work concerned with plasma diamagnetism and concentrates on the parameters involved at low pressures and low collisionalities but can be extended to situations where the ions are magnetized.

Dispersion characteristics of electromagnetic waves with radial and azimuthal polarization in a rotating relativistic electron beam guided by an ion channel are investigated. Ion-channel electrostatic field and self-fields of relativistic electron beam were included in the formalism. It is shown that the wave with radial polarization is unstable in two regions due to coupling with fast space charge wave. The behaviors of the instability magnitude and spread are analyzed as a function of equilibrium parameters. The introduced instability can be used for amplification and production of high-intensity laser pulse with radial polarization.

A large amplitude modulated Gaussian electromagnetic beam propagating in a dusty plasma with dust charge fluctuations has been studied. The electrons are heated non-uniformly by the electromagnetic beam. For non-steady state, we obtain nonlinear current density in the presence of dust grains. This expression has been used to study the non-stationary self-focusing and resulting self-distortion of the amplitude modulated electromagnetic beam. It has been observed that the dust charge fluctuation increases the self-focusing of electromagnetic beam. It is also found that the effect of dust charge fluctuations is significant on the modulation index.

In this paper, intense laser pulse guiding through a weakly ionized plasma channel is studied numerically. The radial profile of the channel refractive index is assumed to be top-hat. The propagating intense laser pulses are Gaussian TEM00 and Laguerre–Gaussian LG01 modes. The analysis includes the effects of plasma density inhomogeneity, diffraction, further ionization by the propagating laser pulse and nonlinearity arising from the nonlinear Kerr effect. Matched conditions are obtained for both TEM00 and LG01 laser modes for a top-hat refractive index profile. It is seen that the electron density profile changes the matched condition in the transmission of the laser pulse through the plasma channel. It is also shown that the nonlinear Kerr effect changes the matched condition and becomes the dominant effect in intense laser pulse propagation through the weakly ionized plasma channel.

In the present paper, quasilinear development of anisotropy-driven electromagnetic instabilities is computed on the basis of recently formulated empirical wave dispersion relation and compared against exact numerical calculation based upon transcendental plasma dispersion function and exact numerical roots. Upon comparison with the exact method it is demonstrated that the empirical model provides reasonable results. The present findings may be relevant to space physical application, as the present paper provides a useful short-cut research method for self-consistent analysis of temporal development of anisotropy-driven instabilities.

This paper presents the effect of laser beam filamentation on the localization of electron plasma wave (EPW) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in unmagnetized plasma when relativistic and ponderomotive nonlinearities are operative. The splitted profile of the laser beam is obtained due to uneven focusing of the off-axial rays. The semi-analytical solution of the nonlinearly coupled EPW equation in the presence of laser beam filaments has been found. It is observed that due to this nonlinear coupling between these two waves, localization of EPW takes place. Stimulated Raman scattering of this EPW is studied and back reflectivity has been calculated. Further, the localization of EPW affects the eigenfrequency and damping of plasma wave. The new enhanced damping of the plasma wave has been calculated and it is found that the SRS process gets suppressed due to the localization of plasma wave in laser beam filamentary structures.

We have investigated some linear as well as nonlinear properties of ion-acoustic wave (IAW) propagation in a non-uniform two-electron-temperature magnetoplasma in the presence of ion-sheared flows. In the linear limit, new dispersion relation has been derived and analyzed in some interesting limiting cases. It is shown that ion-sheared flow can drive the IAW unstable under a certain limit.Whereas, in the nonlinear case, dipolar and vortex street type solutions can appear. It is observed that by choosing some typical parameters of Earth's auroral region, the scalelength of the nonlinear structures are significantly modified. The present investigation might be very useful to explain various types of nonlinear structure formation which has been observed in space environments where two-electron-temperature plasma exist.

Double Alfvén wave solutions of the magnetohydrodynamic equations in which the physical variables (the gas density ρ, fluid velocity u, gas pressure p, and magnetic field induction B) depend only on two independent wave phases ϕ1(x,t) and ϕ2(x,t) are obtained. The integrals for the double Alfvén wave are the same as for simple waves, namely, the gas pressure, magnetic pressure, and group velocity of the wave are constant. Compatibility conditions on the evolution of the magnetic field B due to changes in ϕ1 and ϕ2, as well as constraints due to Gauss's law ∇ · B = 0 are discussed. The magnetic field lines and hodographs of B in which the tip of the magnetic field B moves on the sphere |B| = B = const. are used to delineate the physical characteristics of the wave. Hamilton's equations for the simple Alfvén wave with wave normal n(ϕ), and with magnetic induction B(ϕ) in which ϕ is the wave phase, are obtained by using the Frenet–Serret equations for curves x=X(ϕ) in differential geometry. The use of differential geometry of 2D surfaces in a 3D Euclidean space to describe double Alfvén waves is briefly discussed.

New technique is suggested in plasma polarimetry: Differential equations for angular parameters of polarization ellipse, characterizing the amplitude ratio and the phase difference between orthogonal components of the wave field. Equations for angular variables ‘amplitude ratio–phase difference’ are derived, which allow direct calculation of the parameters of polarization ellipse, omitting solutions for the Stokes vector. The simplest analytical solutions are presented for the pure Faraday and the pure Cotton–Mouton effects. Behavior of angular parameters in the homogeneous and inhomogeneous plasmas is illustrated by numerical modeling in conditions when the Faraday and Cotton–Mouton effects are large enough and comparable in strength.

The finite ion Larmor radius (FLR) stabilization of the magnetic curvature-driven Rayleigh–Taylor (MCD RT) instability in a low beta plasma with nonzero ion temperature gradient is investigated. Finite electron temperature effects and ion temperature perturbations are incorporated. A new set of nonlinear equations for flute waves with arbitrary wavelengths as compared with the ion Larmor radius in a plasma with curved magnetic field lines is derived. Particular attention is paid to the waves with spatial scales of the order of the ion Larmor radius. In the linear limit, a Fourier transform of these equations yields an improved dispersion relation for flute waves. The dependence of the MCD RT instability growth rate on the equilibrium plasma parameters and the wavelengths is studied. The condition for which the instability cannot be stabilized by the FLR effects is found.