Low frequency shear electromagnetic modes in strongly coupled, relativistic-degenerate, astrophysical electron-positron-ion plasmas

Starting from appropriate fluid equations, a dispersion relation describing the properties of low frequency (as compared to the ion gyrofrequency) shear electromagnetic mode in an ultra-dense, relativistic-degenerate plasma is derived and examined. The plasma constituents are fully degenerate electrons and positrons, and strongly correlated non-degenerate ions. It is found that the shear mode can couple with the electrostatic ion mode under certain circumstances. The electron and positron relativistic degeneracy and ion correlations significantly affect the waves. However, the electron degeneracy pressure is dominant because the density balance changes due to the presence of ions in electron-positron pair plasma. The results are discussed numerically in the ultra-relativistic and weakly-relativistic limits, indicating relevance to the dense plasmas, produced in laboratory (e.g., super-intense laser-dense matter experiments), and astrophysical regimes.