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A small-amplitude study of solitons near critical plasma compositions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2016

Carel P. Olivier ,
Frank Verheest  and
Shimul K. Maharaj
Carel P. Olivier
Affiliation:
South African National Space Agency (SANSA) Space Science, P.O. Box 32, Hermanus 7200, South Africa Centre for Space Research, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
Frank Verheest
Affiliation:
Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281, B–9000 Gent, Belgium School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa
Shimul K. Maharaj
Affiliation:
South African National Space Agency (SANSA) Space Science, P.O. Box 32, Hermanus 7200, South Africa Department of Physics, University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Bellville 7535, South Africa
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Abstract

The properties of small-amplitude solitons are established near critical plasma compositions in a generalized fluid plasma with an arbitrary number of species. The study is conducted via a Taylor series expansion of the Sagdeev potential. It is shown that there are two types of critical compositions, namely rich critical and poor critical compositions. The coexistence of positive and negative polarity solitons is shown to arise at rich critical compositions and near rich critical compositions. At poor critical compositions, no small-amplitude solitons exist, while weak double layers arise near poor critical compositions. A novel analytical expression is obtained for a small-amplitude acoustic speed soliton solution near rich critical compositions. These solitons have a Lorentzian shape with much fatter tails than regular solitons. A case study is also performed for a simple fluid model consisting of cold ions and two Boltzmann electron species. Exact agreement is obtained between the Sagdeev analysis and reductive perturbation theory. For the first time, we derive the same Lorentzian acoustic speed soliton from reductive perturbation theory.

Keywords

plasma nonlinear phenomena
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Plasma Physics , Volume 82 , Issue 6 , December 2016 , 905820605
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2016 

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