Theory of nonlinear waves in a plasma

Abstract

Stationary nonlinear waves propagating in a cold rarefied plasma composed of electrons and two types of ions are considered. The structure of isolated waves and shock waves is found. In recent years an intensive study has been made of finite-amplitude waves and collisionless shock waves in a rarefied plasma, in connection with laboratory experiments [1] and astrophysical applications (the problem of the interaction of the “solar wind” with the Earth's magnetosphere [2]). When allowance is made for dispersion effects associated with the departure of the dispersion law ω=ω(k) from the linear, and for the compensating nonlinear twisting of the wave profile, we are able to obtain the profile of stationary nonlinear waves of finite amplitude, and when allowance is made for damping we can also obtain the structure of a collisionless shock wave [3]. Such waves have been studied fairly fully for the case of a two-component plasma. The present paper examines stationary nonlinear waves propagating across a magnetic field in a cold rarefied quasi-neutral plasma composed of electrons and two types of ions.