Collision of Ion-Acoustic Solitary Waves in Plasma

Abstract

The process of collision of ion-acoustic solitary waves in a collisionless plasma with cold ions and Boltzmann electrons is studied using numerical simulations. It is shown that solitary waves with sufficiently large amplitudes do not preserve their identity after the collision. Their amplitudes decrease, and the shapes change. It is found that the collision is accompanied by the generation of fast ions with velocities exceeding threefold the ion sound speed.