Nonlinear surface waves on a thin plasma layer

Abstract

The propagation of nonlinear high-frequency TM antisymmetric surface waves on a thin un magnetized plasma slab bounded by vacuum has been studied. It is found that smooth surface wave solitons due to the modulation of finite-amplitude electron surface waves by slow ion-acoustic motion exist. When the high-frequency wave propagation is modified by a purely electronic slow motion, the governing equation is a derivative nonlinear Schröd inger equation with a cusped-soliton solution.