Scalar perturbations in two-temperature cosmological plasmas

We study the properties of density perturbations of a two-component plasma with a temperature difference on a homogeneous and isotropic background. For this purpose, we extend the general relativistic gauge-invariant and covariant (GIC) perturbation theory to include a multifluid with a particular equation of state (ideal gas) and imperfect fluid terms due to the relative energy flux between the two species. We derive closed sets of GIC vector and subsequently scalar evolution equations. We then investigate solutions in different regimes of interest. In particular, we study long-wavelength and arbitrary-wavelength Langmuir and ion-acoustic perturbations. The harmonic oscillations are superposed on a Jeans-type instability. We find a generalized Jeans criterion for collapse in a two-temperature plasma, which states that the species with the largest sound velocity determines the Jeans wavelength. Furthermore, we find that within the limit for gravitational collapse, initial perturbations in either the total density or charge density lead to a growth in the initial temperature difference. These results are relevant for the basic understanding of the evolution of inhomogeneities in cosmological models.     

Ion-acoustic double layers in magnetized positive-negative ion plasmas with nonthermal electrons

The nonlinear ion-acoustic double layers (IADLs) in a warm magnetoplasma with positive-negative ions and nonthermal electrons are investigated. For this purpose, the hydrodynamic equations for the positive-negative ions, nonthermal electron density distribution, and the Poisson equation are used to derive a modified Zakharov–Kuznetsov (MZK) equation, in the small amplitude regime. It is found that compressive and rarefactive IADLs strongly depend on the mass and density ratios of the negative-to-positive ions as well as the nonthermal electron parameter. Also, it is shown that there are one critical value for the density ratio of the negative-to-positive ions (ν), the ratio between unperturbed electron-to-positive ion density (μ), and the nonthermal electron parameter (β), which decide the existence of positive and negative IADLs. The present study is applied to examine the small amplitude nonlinear IADL excitations for the (H⁺, O₂^-)(\mathrm{H}^{+}, \mathrm{O}_{2}^{-}) and (H⁺,H⁻) plasmas, where they are found in the D- and F-regions of the Earth’s ionosphere. This investigation should be helpful in understanding the salient features of the nonlinear IADLs in either space or laboratory plasmas where two distinct groups of ions and non-Boltzmann distributed electrons are present.     

Evolution of double layers in magnetised plasmas contaminated with dust charge fluctuations

Coherent structures entailing the existence of double layers have been studied in magnetised plasma contaminated with dust charging fluctuations. It has been shown that the dust charging in magnetic plasma leads to complexity in the derivation of the Sagdeev wave equation, but under way new procedure enable one to study the nature of double layers showing the effective role of the constituents of the plasma. A parametric analysis is a subject of interest in laboratory and space plasmas, and it has been explained with the input of various typical plasma numerics. The proposed mathematical mechanism has shown the success to yield plasma acoustic modes in a dusty plasma which, in turn, has been solved convincingly for double layers. Observations have been evaluated in an appropriate model with a view to agree with the observations in astrophysical problems dealing with present new findings.     

Shocks in multicomponent cylindrical and spherical Lorentzian plasmas

Nonlinear cylindrical and spherical ion acoustic shocks have been studied in unmagnetized dissipative non-Maxwellian electron-positron-ion (e-p-i) plasmas. Modified Korteweg-de Vries Burgers (mKdVB) has been derived by using reductive perturbation method. Two level finite difference scheme is used with the help of Runge Kutta method to simulate the mKdVB. It is noticed that positron concentration, spectral indices of electrons and positrons, kinematic viscosity of ions significantly modifies the strength of shocks in cylindrical and spherical geometries.     

Ion acoustic solitary waves in electron-positron-ion magneto-rotating Lorentzian plasmas

Nonlinear ion acoustic solitary wave structures in electron-positron-ion (e-p-i) magnetized rotating plasmas is studied. The electron and positron species are assumed to be nonthermal and follow the kappa distribution function. The Korteweg de Vries (kdV) equation is derived by employing the reductive perturbation technique for solitary wave in the nonlinear regime. The variation in the amplitude and width of the solitary wave are discussed with the effects of positron concentration, temperature ratio of kappa distributed electrons to positrons, spectral index of the positrons, direction of propagation of the wave with magnetic field and effective gyrofrequency of the rotating nonthermal plasmas. The numerical results are also presented for illustration.     

Planar Gardner solitons and double layers in dusty electronegative plasmas with kappa distributed electrons

A theoretical investigation has been made on the Dust ion-acoustic (DIA) Gardner solitons (GSs) and double layers (DLs) in electronegative plasma consisting of inertial positive and negative ions, super-thermal (kappa distributed) electrons, and negatively charged static dust. The standard reductive perturbation method is employed to derive the Korteweg-de Vries (K-dV), modified K-dV (mK-dV), and standard Gardner equations, which admits solitary waves (SWs) and DLs solutions. It have been found that GSs and DLs exist for α around its critical value α _c , where α _c is the value of α corresponding to the vanishing of the nonlinear coefficient of the K-dV equation. The parametric regimes for the existence of both the positive as well as negative SWs and negative DLs are obtained. The basic features of DIA SWs and DLs are analyzed and it has been found that the polarity, speed, height, thickness of such DIA SWs and DLs structures, are significantly modified due to the presence of two types of ions and spectral index (κ) of super-thermal electrons. It has also been found that the characteristics of DIA GSs and DLs, are different from that of the K-dV solitons and mK-dV solitons. The relevance of our results to different interstellar space plasma situations are discussed.     

Gardner solitons in dusty plasmas with nonextensive ions and two-temperature superthermal electrons

Nonlinear propagation of dust-acoustic waves in an unmagnetized dusty plasma consisting of negatively charged mobile dust, nonextensive ions following nonextensive q-distribution and two distinct temperature superthermal electrons following superthermal kappa distribution each, is investigated by employing lower and higher order nonlinear equations, namely the Korteweg-de-Vries (K-dV), the modified Korteweg-de-Vries (mK-dV) and the Gardner equations. The characteristic features of the hump (positive potential) and dip (negative potential) shaped dust-acoustic (DA) Gardner solitons are found to exist beyond the K-dV limit. The effects of two superthermal temperature electrons and ions nonextensivity on the basic characteristics of DA K-dV, mK-dV and Gardner solitons have also been investigated. It has been found that the DA Gardner solitons exhibit either negative or positive potential solitons only for q<q _c where, q _c is the critical value of the nonextensive parameter q. The possible applications of our results in understanding the localized nonlinear electrostatic structures existing in solar atmosphere, Saturn’s magnetosphere etc. (where the tails of the high energetic particles at different temperatures follow power-law like distribution) are also briefly discussed.     

Double layers in strong turbulent plasmas

On the basis of two magneto-fluid model for two time-scales, the double layer formation in strong turbulent plasma is examined; it is shown that double layer is a moving nonlinear entity in this case: soliton and wave-packet shock. It turns out that subsonic moving double layer is a double-double layer and might be cccounted as electric detonator in cosmic bodies; supersonic moving double layer possesses soliton pattern of shock type and it can be broken up into a single double layer within the bounds of possibility.     

Envelope solitons and their modulational instability in dusty plasmas with two-temperature superthermal electrons

The modified ion-acoustic envelope solitons and their modulational instability in a multi-component unmagnetized plasma (consisting of negatively charged immobile dusts, inertial ions and superthermal electrons of two distinct temperatures) are theoretically investigated. A multiple scale (in space and time) perturbation technique is used to derive the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation (which describes the evolution of a slowly varying wave envelope with space and time). It is observed that the plasma system under consideration supports two types (bright and dark) envelope solitons. It is also found that the dark (bright) envelope solitons are modulationally stable (unstable). The variation of the growth rate of the unstable bright envelope solitons with various plasma parameters (e.g. wave number, temperature of superthermal electrons, etc.) are found to be significant. The modulational instability criterions of the modified ion-acoustic envelope solitons are also seen to be influenced due to the variation of the intrinsic plasma parameters. The implications of the results of this theoretical investigations in some space plasma systems (viz. Saturn’s magnetosphere) are briefly mentioned.     

Dust-acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized dusty plasmas with nonthermal ions and two-temperature nonextensive electrons

A rigorous theoretical investigation has been made on the obliquely propagating dust-acoustic (DA) waves in a magnetized dusty plasmas consisting of distinct temperature q-distributed electrons with distinct strength of nonextensivities, nonthermal ions and negatively charged mobile dust grains, and analyzed by deriving the Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation. It is found that the characteristics and the properties of the DA solitary waves (DASWs) are significantly modified by the external magnetic field, relative temperature ratio of ions, relative number densities of electrons as well as ions, the nonextensivity of electrons, nonthermality of ions and the obliqueness of the system. The possible implications of the results obtained from this analysis in space and laboratory dusty plasmas are briefly addressed.     

Double layers and collapsible waves in plasmas expected in interplanetary space

The propagation of ion-acoustic waves by the augmentation of Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation are studied in a plasma in relation to that existing in the interplanetary space. We precisely pointed out the causes of occuring the double layers as well as collapsing of the solitary waves in the plasma dynamics.     

Dynamical aspects of electrostatic double layers

Electrostatic double layers have been proposed as an acceleration mechanism in solar flares and other astrophysical objects. They have been extensively studied in the laboratory and by means of computer simulations. The theory of steady-state double layers implies several existence criteria, in particular the Bohm criteria, restricting the conditions under which double layers may form. In the present paper several already published theoretical models of different types of double layers are discussed. It is shown that the existence conditions often imply current-driven instabilities in the ambient plasma, at least for strong double layers, and it is argued that such conditions must be used with care when applied to real plasmas. Laboratory double layers, and by implication those arising in astrophysical plasmas often produce instabilities in the surrounding plasma and are generally time-dependent structures. Naturally occuring double layers should, therefore, be far more common than the restrictions deduced from idealised time-independent models would imply. In particular it is necessary to understand more fully the time-dependent behaviour of double layers. In the present paper the dynamics of weak double layers is discussed. Also a model for a moving strong double layer, where an associated potential minimum plays a significant role, is presented.Paper dedicated to Professor Hannes Alfvén on the occasion of his 80th birthday, 30 May 1988.     

On the physics of relativistic double layers

A model of a strong, time-independent, and relativistic double layer is studied. Besides double layers having the electric field parallel to the current the model also describes a certain type of oblique double layers. The Langmuir condition (ratio of ion current density to electron current density) as well as an expression for the potential drop of the double layer are derived. Furthermore, the distributions of charged particles, electric field, and potential within the double layer are clarified and discussed. It is found that the properties of relativistic double layers differ substantially from the properties of corresponding non-relativistic double layers.     

Obliquely propagating ion-acoustic double layers in magnetized electron-positron-ion plasma

Ion–acoustic double layers has been studied in magnetized electron-positron-ion plasma. The modified Korteweg-de Vries (m-KdV) is derived using reductive perturbation method. It is found that for the selected set of parameters, the system supports rarefactive (compressive) double layers depending upon the values of cold electron concentration (μ). It is also found that the magnetization affects only the width of the double layer. For a given set of parameter values, as we increases the magnetization, the width of the double layer increases and an increases in the obliqueness θ, where θ is the angle between wave vector and magnetic field, the width of the double layer also increases. The angle of obliqueness θ does not affects the amplitude of the double layer. It is also investigated that for the given set of parameter values, on increasing the positron concentration the amplitude of the rarefactive (compressive) double layer decreases (increases), and the width of the rarefactive (compressive) double layer increases (decreases). The effect of the temperature ratios of ions and positron on the amplitude and width of the double layers are discussed.     

Existence and stability of strong potential double layers

An elementary integral equation technique is used to construct strong and weak stationary shock solutions from the one-dimensional Vlasov equation. It is shown that the plasma is Penrose stable in all points in space under certain conditions.This work was supported in part by the Atomic Energy Commission Grant No. AT(11-1)-2059, and NSF Grant GA-31676.supported by a CSIR bursary.     

Electrostatic double layers and plasma evacuation in current-driven systems

After examining some of the background work relevant to double layers, the role constant current driven systems might play in the double layer formation is examined from two perspectives. First, a fluids analysis is considered via the method of characteristics. A density perturbation growth is predicted. Two model deficiencies, zero electron mass and lack of particle kinematics, suggest an improvement in the model via the Vlasov equation. This second model using the Vlasov equation still maintains a non-quasineutral posture. In addition to predicting the expected two-stream instability, the model also predicts a double layer-type electric field.     

Arbitrary amplitude double layers in a multi-species electron-positron plasma

The existence and properties of arbitrary amplitude double layers in a four-component electron-positron plasma, consisting of two species of hot electrons, a hot and a cold positron species, are investigated as functions of plasma properties such as density and temperature ratios. Their behaviour for other plasma models is also discussed. Applications to the polar-cusp region of pulsars is considered.     

Observations of propagating double layers in a high current discharge

Observations of current disruptions and strong electric fields along the magnetic field in a high-density (2×10¹⁹ m^–3), highly-ionized, moving, and expanding plasma column are reported. The electric field is interpreted in terms of propagating, strong electric double layers (3–5 kV).An initial plasma column is formed in an axial magnetic field (0.1 T) by means of a conical theta-pinch plasma gun. When an axial current (max 5 kA, 3–5 kV) is drawn through the column spontaneous disruptions and double-layer formation occur within a few microseconds.Floating, secondary emitting Langmuir probes are used. They often indicate very high positive potential peaks (1–2 kV above the anode potential during a few s) in the plasma on the positive side of the double layer. Short, intense bursts of HF radiation are detected at the disruptions.Paper dedicated to Professor Hannes Alfvén on the occasion of his 80th birthday, 30 May 1988.     

Electrostatic double layers and a plasma evacuation process

An evacuation process due to the growth of current driven instabilties in a plasma is discussed. The process, which leads to localized extreme density reductions, is related to the formation of electrostatic double layers. The initial linear phase is treated using the superposition of unstable plasma waves. In the long wavelength, non-dispersive limit, a density dip — which is initially present as a small disturbance — grows rapidly and remains localized in the plasma. The process works for a variety of plasma conditions provided a certain current density is exceeded. For a particular choice of plasma parameters the non-linear development is followed, by solving the coupled Vlasov-Poisson equations by finite difference methods. The evacuation process is found to work even more effectively in the non-linear phase and leads to an extreme density reduction within the dip. It is suggested that the growth of such structures produces weak points within the plasma that can lead to the formation of double layers.     

Effects of double temperature superthermal electrons on dust-ion-acoustic shock waves in electron-positron-ion dusty plasmas

A rigorous theoretical investigation on the characteristics of dust-ion-acoustic (DIA) shock waves in an unmagnetized multi component electron-positron-ion dusty plasma (consisting of inertial ions, electrons of two distinct temperatures referred to as low and high temperature superthermal electrons where superthermality is introduced via the κ-type of nonthermal distribution, Boltzmann distributed positrons, and negatively charged immobile dust grains) has been made both theoretically and analytically. The hydrodynamic equation for inertial ions has been used to derive the Burgers equation. The influence of superthermal electrons, Maxwellian positrons and ion kinematic viscosity, which are found in this investigation, significantly modify the basic features of DIA shock waves, are briefly discussed. The present investigation can be very effective for studying and understanding the basic characteristics of shock wave propagation through different astrophysical situations where distinct temperature superthermal electrons dominate the wave dynamics.