Modulational Instability of Ion-Acoustic Waves in a Warm Plasma with a Relativistic Electron Beam**The project supported by Northwest Normal University-KJCXGC-215

Abstract

The modulational instability of ion-acoustic wave in a collisionless, unmagnetized plasma consisting of warm ions, hot isothermal electrons, and relativistic electron beam is studied. A modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation including one additional term that comes from the effect of relativistic electron beam is derived. It is found that the inclusion of a relativistic electron beam would modify the modulational instability of the wave packet and could not admit any stationary soliton waves.