Electromagnetic ion waves in cold relativistic plasmas

The high-energy processes which occur in many astrophysical objects have motivated recent studies (e.g., Tsintsadze and Tsikarishvili, 1976; Ferrariet al., 1978; Sweeney and Stewart, 1978) of large amplitude wave propagation in plasmas. Such investigations are also of interest for laboratory experiments where strong laser radiation interacts with a high-density target. In the present paper we shall show that even rather small amplitude waves in the presence of an external magnetic field can induce particle velocities which are comparable to the velocity of light. In this ultrarelativistic limit we shall demonstrate that two completely new types of circularly polarized waves appear and that under certain conditions, modulational instabilities occur. Finally we look at the possibility to relate the amplitudes and wavelengths of such waves to pulsar data.