Ion-acoustic waves in dusty plasmas

The properties of ion-acoustic waves in steady-state, unmagnetized, dusty plasmas are analyzed using fluid equations. Two damping mechanisms are investigated. The “Tromsø damping” has been discussed in detail by researchers in Tromsø (Havnes et al., Phys. Scr.45, 491, 1992; Melandsø et al., J. geophys. Res.98, 13315, 1993) for dust-acoustic waves, and is related to the fact that a finite phase shift generally exists between the oscillation of the wave potential and the oscillation of the dust grains charge in the presence of the wave. The “creation damping” is due to the continuous injection of fresh ions into the plasma, to replace those which are lost to the dust grains. These fresh ions, produced by ionization of a neutral gas, do not share initially in the wave motion of the pre-existing ions, and thus lower the average momentum of the ion population.     

Dust-ion-acoustic solitary waves and their multi-dimensional instability in a magnetized dusty electronegative plasma with trapped negative ions

A theoretical investigation has been made on obliquely propagating dust-ion-acoustic solitary waves (DIASWs) in magnetized dusty electronegative plasma containing Boltzmann electrons, trapped negative ions, cold mobile positive ions, and arbitrarily charged stationary dust. The reductive perturbation method has been employed to derive the modified Zakharov-Kuznetsov (MZK) equation which admits solitary wave solution under certain conditions. The multi-dimensional instability of these solitary waves is also studied by the small-k (long wavelength plane wave) perturbation-expansion technique. The basic properties (speed, amplitude, width, instability, etc.) of small but finite amplitude DIASWs are significantly modified by the effects of external magnetic field, obliqueness, polarity of dust, and trapped negative ions. The implications of our results in space and laboratory plasmas are briefly discussed.     

Ion-acoustic solitons in a warm plasma including negative ions in the vicinity of critical density

We exhibit a class of closed (Bianchi type IX), homogeneous and isotropic universes generated by an unpolarized spinning perfect fluid on the basis of Einstein-Cartan theory. The models are non-singular and pulsate around a static configuration in an endless number of cycles. All of them undergo, periodic phases of accelerated (inflationary) expansion and may be reduced to the dynamics of an anharmonic oscillator.     

Finite larmor-radius effects on Rayleigh-Taylor instability of a dusty magnetized plasma

This paper discusses the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability of an infinitely conducting medium having an exponential density distribution which includes the effects of finite ion Larmor-radius (FLR) corrections and suspended particles in the presence of a uniform horizontal magnetic field. The relevant equations of the problem are linearized and from the linearized perturbation equations a dispersion relation is obtained, using appropriate boundary conditions. It has been found that the criterion for the stable density stratification remains uninfluenced by the simultaneous inclusion of the FLR corrections and suspended particles. The stability of the medium has been proved for the case of stable stratification when the FLR corrections are not considered in the analysis. The growth rate of unstable RT modes with increasing relaxation frequency of the suspended particles is evaluated analytically. It has been shown that the presence of suspended particles in the medium suppresses the growth rate of the unstable RT modes, thereby implying a stabilizing influence of the particles on the considered configuration.     

Bifurcations of dust ion acoustic travelling waves in a magnetized quantum dusty plasma

Bifurcation behavior of nonlinear dust ion acoustic travelling waves in a magnetized quantum dusty plasma has been studied. Applying the reductive perturbation technique (RPT), we have derived a Kadomtsev-Petviashili (KP) equation for dust ion acoustic waves (DIAWs) in a magnetized quantum dusty plasma. By using the bifurcation theory of planar dynamical systems to the KP equation, we have proved that our model has solitary wave solutions and periodic travelling wave solutions. We have derived two exact explicit solutions of the above travelling waves depending on different parameters.     

Dust-ion-acoustic solitary waves and their multi-dimensional instability in a magnetized nonthermal dusty electronegative plasma

A rigorous theoretical investigation has been made on multi-dimensional instability of obliquely propagating electrostatic dust-ion-acoustic (DIA) solitary structures in a magnetized dusty electronegative plasma which consists of Boltzmann electrons, nonthermal negative ions, cold mobile positive ions, and arbitrarily charged stationary dust. The Zakharov-Kuznetsov (ZK) equation is derived by the reductive perturbation method, and its solitary wave solution is analyzed for the study of the DIA solitary structures, which are found to exist in such a dusty plasma. The multi-dimensional instability of these solitary structures is also studied by the small-k (long wave-length plane wave) perturbation expansion technique. The combined effects of the external magnetic field, obliqueness, and nonthermal distribution of negative ions, which are found to significantly modify the basic properties of small but finite-amplitude DIA solitary waves, are examined. The external magnetic field and the propagation directions of both the nonlinear waves and their perturbation modes are found to play a very important role in changing the instability criterion and the growth rate of the unstable DIA solitary waves. The basic features (viz. speed, amplitude, width, instability, etc.) and the underlying physics of the DIA solitary waves, which are relevant to many astrophysical situations (especially, auroral plasma, Saturn’s E-ring and F-ring, Halley’s comet, etc.) and laboratory dusty plasma situations, are briefly discussed.     

Modulational instability of dust ion acoustic waves in dusty plasmas with superthermal electrons

The propagation of dust ion acoustic waves is studied in plasmas composed of superthermal distributed electrons and stationary dust particles. The nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived using the reductive perturbation technique and the modulational instability of dust ion acoustic waves is analyzed. Parametric investigations indicate that the presence of superthermal distributed electrons significantly modify the modulational instability and its growth rate. The effect of particle relative density on the wave characters is also investigated.     

Debye shielding in a dusty plasma

The phenomenon of Debye shielding is investigated in a dusty plasma consisting of Boltzmann electrons and ions, and negatively charged, massive dust grains. Both small and large amplitude electrostatic potentials are considered and a parameter study conducted.     

Ion-acoustic solitary waves in a fully relativistic ion-electron-positron plasma

A fully and coherent relativistic fluid model derived from the covariant formulation of relativistic fluid equations is used to study ion-acoustic solitary waves in a fully relativistic ion-electron-positron plasma. This approach has the characteristic to be consistent with the relativistic principle and consequently leads to a more general set of equations valid for fully relativistic plasmas with arbitrary Lorentz relativistic factor. Our results may be relevant to cosmic relativistic double- layers and relativistic plasma structures involving energetic plasma flows that may occur in space plasmas. Furthermore, they may complement and provide new insights into recently published results (G. Lu et al. in Astrophys. Space Sci., doi:, 2010).     

The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in dusty plasmas

The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in magnetized, dusty plasmas is examined, for both negatively and positively charged dust. The critical shear in the ion velocity along the magnetic field is computed as a function of the charge residing on dust grains.     

Nonlinear electrostatic excitations in electron-depleted electronegative dusty plasma with two-negative ion species

Nonlinear electrostatic solitary and shock excitations in electron-depleted electronegative dusty plasma with two-negative ions are considered. Excitations properties and formation conditions are clearly explained. The relevancy of this investigation to space observations and laboratory experiments is pointed out.     

Nonlinear potential structures in a dusty plasma

Fluid theory is used to investigate nonlinear potential structures in an inhomogeneous magnetized dusty plasma. Dipolar-vortex and modified convective cell structures are shown to exist.     

Ion-acoustic waves in non-Maxwellian magnetospheric electron-positron-ion plasma

Using Boltzmann-Vlasov kinetic model for nonthermal distributed electron-positron-ion plasma of our Earth’s magnetosphere and the solar wind streaming plasma can drive ion-acoustic waves unstable. It is found that the growth rate increases with the decrease of spectral index and increases with the streaming velocity of the solar wind. The numerical results are also presented by choosing some suitable parameters of magnetospheric plasma.     

Ion-acoustic rogue waves in a plasma with a q-nonextensive electron velocity distribution

Ion-acoustic rogue waves (IARWs) are addressed in a two-component plasma with a q-nonextensive electron velocity distribution. A weakly nonlinear analysis is carried out to derive a Korteweg-de Vries (K-dV) equation with a particular emphasis on its application to the IARWs. This K-dV equation is transformed to a nonlinear Schr?dinger equation, provided that the frequency of the carrier wave is much smaller than the ion plasma frequency. Interestingly, it is found that the IARWs may be drastically affected by electron nonextensivity depending on whether the entropic index q is positive or negative. In view of the crucial importance of RWs in space environments, our results should be useful in understanding the basic features of the nonextensive IARGs that may occur in space plasmas.     

Rayleigh-Taylor instability of a plasma with finite ion Larmor radius effects

The stability of an infinitely conducting plasma of variable density has been investigated taking into account the finiteness of the ion Larmor radius. The perturbations propagating along the ambient magnetic field are considered. It is established that, in general,n ² is necessarily real, wheren is the growth rate of disturbance, thus ruling out the possibility of overstability or damped oscillations. The solution is shown to be characterized by a variational principle, which provides the basis for obtaining an approximate solution of the problem. Two density distributions are considered: (i) a continuously stratified plasma layer and (ii) two semi-infinitely extending plasmas of constant densities separated by a horizontal interface. In both cases it has been shown that for the said disturbances the stability criterion remains unaffected by the inclusion of finite Larmor radius effects, though the amplified motion is strongly inhibited due to their inclusion.