Obliquely propagating electron-acoustic solitary waves in magnetized plasmas: the role of trapped superthermal electrons

Abstract

The properties of obliquely propagating electron-acoustic solitary waves (OPEASWs) have been investigated in a magnetized superthermal plasma (containing inertial cold electron species, inertialess electrons following Vasyliunas-Schamel distribution function, and static ions) via the fluid dynamical approach. The reductive perturbation technique is employed to derive the Schamel equation and the solitary wave solution of the Schamel equation is used to examine the basic features of small but finite amplitude OPEASWs in such a magnetized plasma in the presence of trapped k-superthermal hot electron population. The basic features (width, amplitude, speed, etc.) of OPEASWs are found to be significantly modified by the different plasma configuration parameters, such as plasma superthermality, obliqueness, the particle trapping effect, and external magnetic field effect. The nature of electrostatic disturbances, that may propagate in different realistic space and laboratory plasma systems (e.g., in Saturn ring), is briefly discussed.