MPhil SYNOPSIS

ELECTRON ACOUSTIC NONLINEAR STRUCTURES IN A

RELATIVISTIC PLASMA WITH NONTHERMAL ELECTRONS

Introduction

The fourth state of matter is plasma which is estimated to be 99 percent of the whole

observable universe. In 1879 plasma was first spotted by William Crookes and was named

“plasma” in 1928 by Irving Langmuir [1]. Plasma is a word from Greek which is used for

“flexible” something “molded” or “jelly like” [2]. Thus, plasma which is an ionized gas of

neutral particles, electrons and ions. Plasma can be defined as “A quasi-neutral gas of charged

and neutral particles which shows collective behaviour”. Here the term quasi neutral is used for

such a system in which number of ions are approximately equal to number of electrons ( ni ≃ ne )

and collective behaviour means that the particles are not only interacting with its neighbouring

particles but are also influenced by the distant particles as well [3]. The plasma species produces

different types of waves depending on dynamics and ways for example, electron acoustic waves

and ion acoustic waves. Both of these waves travel with speed of sound.

Electron acoustic waves (EAWS) which are spotted in space and laboratory plasma are

low frequency nonlinear plasma waves. EAWS may occur in two modes one is referred as cold

and the other as hot electron mode. Nowadays the analysis of nonlinear electron acoustic solitary

(EAS) and shock waves received considerable attraction due to their important role in

understanding the behavior of space plasma like supernovas, pulsar environment, neutron stars

etc. [4-7]. Nonlinear electron-acoustic solitary waves are examined in two temperature plasma

using laboratory devices. These efforts show propagation of excited EASWS in space and

laboratory plasmas [8,9]. On laboratory scale different methods are used to create electron

acoustic solitary waves for example using electron and laser beams [10,11].
 Soliton or solitary wave which is a nonlinearly localized wave can travel in space more

until no changes occur in its energy and speed [12]. On the other hand “shock wave” is a

disturbance in a medium which travel faster as compared to the localized sound speed in that

medium. Shock waves can also travel in a medium with energy, due to some unexpected

changes in density, temperature and pressure [13-15]. In magnetized plasma EASW S are studied

[16-19]. Also, two electron plasma which is unmagnetized is investigated [20-23]. In various

zones of the earth where the magnetic field of earth is dominant energetic electron distributions

are observed by many satellites. Structures of ion acoustic solitary waves witnessed by FREJA

satellite, and electrons [24-25] using nonthermal distribution shows structures with negatively

charged potentials.

The relativistic effects of solitary waves formation cannot be ignored when the particles

move with a speed equal to light. For example in interplanetary space and in the solar

atmosphere frequently, very high speed ions are observed. Another relativistic case is the study

of broadband electrostatic noise (BEN) which move from the earth’s magnetosphere border

layer regions and beams of cold electrons which may be of the speed up to 0.15c, where c is the

light speed with numerical value equal to 3x108 m / s [26]. Maxwellian distribution in weak

relativistic plasma of hot electrons have also a lot of importance in investigating nonlinear

propagation of EASW, S [27-29].

Motivated by the numerous role of electron acoustic solitary and shock waves in

different environments we are attracted to carry out this research in relativistic plasma with

nonthermal electrons effect by applying Sagdeev’s potential approach. The research we consider

here is a minor contribution to the field of plasma.

Aims and Objectives

i. To study theoretically the relativistic nonlinear unmagnetized plasma consist of cold

relativistic electron, nonthermal hot electrons, and relativistic ions in the framework of

auroral zone

ii. To get nonlinear solutions of the mode by using the Sagdeev’s potential approach and to

investigate results numerically.

Plan of Work

We plan to work on electron acoustic solitary and shock waves in unmagnetized, homogeneous

and linear plasma consist of three components, relativistic ions, cold relativistic electrons and

nonthermal hot electrons using pseudopotential approach. In this we use three basic equations

namely, continuity, momentum and Poisson’s which are given as, [30].

∂ nc ∂
+ ( n v )=0, (1)
∂t ∂ x c c

∂ ni ∂
+ ( n v ) =0 , (2)
∂t ∂ x i i

∂ ∂ ∂n ∂φ
γ c v c +v c ( γ c v c ) +3 σ c nc c = , (3)
∂t ∂x ∂x ∂x

∂ ∂ 3 σ ∂ n −1 ∂ φ
γi v i + vi ( γ i vi ) + i n i i = , (4)
∂t ∂x mi ∂ x mi ∂ x
 ∂2 φ
=nh +n c −ni . (5)
∂ x2

Where

γ c =¿

Ti
σi= .
Th

The suffixes i and c represents hot and cold electrons respectively. The mode equations given by

Eqs. (1)-(5) along with Sagdeev’s pseudopotential technique shall be used to derive the equation,

1 ∂φ 2
( ¿ +Ѱ ( φ )=0 , (6)
2 ∂ξ

where Ѱ(φ ) represent pseudopotential.

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