Relativistic solitons are self-trapped, finite size, electromagnetic waves of relativistic intensity that propagate without diffraction spreading. They have been predicted theoretically within the relativistic fluid approximation, and have been observed in multi-dimensional particle in cell simulations of laser pulse interaction with the plasma. Solitons were observed in the laser irradiated plasmas with the proton imaging technique as well. This paper reviews many theoretical results on relativistic solitons in electron-ion plasmas.
The existence of standing high frequency electromagnetic (EM) solitons in a fully degenerate overdense electron plasma is studied applying relativistic hydrodynamics and Maxwell equations. The stable soliton solutions are found in both relativistic and nonrelativistic degenerate plasmas.
The existence of soliton-like electromagnetic (EM) distributions in a fully degenerate electron-positron plasma is studied applying relativistic hydrodynamic and Maxwell equations. For circularly polarized wave it is found that the soliton solutions exist both in relativistic as well as nonrelativistic degenerate plasmas. Plasma density in the region of soliton pulse localization is reduced considerably. The possibility of plasma cavitation is also shown.
The evolution of electromagnetic (EM) solitons due to nonlinear coupling of circularly polarized intense laser pulses with low-frequency electron-acoustic perturbations is studied in relativistic degenerate dense astrophysical plasmas with two groups of electrons: a sparse population of classical relativistic electrons and a dense population of relativistic degenerate electron gas. Different forms of localized stationary solutions are obtained and their properties are analyzed. Using the Vakhitov-Kolokolov stability criterion, the conditions for the existence and stability of a moving EM solit…
The existence of localized electromagnetic structures is discussed in the framework of the 1-dimensional relativistic Maxwell-fluid model for a cold plasma with immobile ions. New partially localized solutions are found with a finite-difference algorithm designed to locate numerically exact solutions of the Maxwell-fluid system. These solutions are called quasi-solitons and consist of a localized electromagnetic wave trapped in a spatially extended electron plasma wave. They are organized in families characterized by the number of nodes $p$ of the vector potential and exist in a continuous ran…
The spin-electron-acoustic waves (sometimes called the spin-plasmons) can be found in degenerate electron gas if the spin-up electrons and spin down electrons move relatively each other. Here, we suggest relativistic hydrodynamics with the separate spin evolution which allows us to study linear and nonlinear spin-electron-acoustic waves, including the spin-electron-acoustic solitons. Presented hydrodynamic model is the corresponding generalization of the relativistic hydrodynamic model with the average reverse gamma factor evolution which consists of the equations for evolution of the followin…
Nonlinear propagation of purely stationary large amplitude electromagnetic (EM) solitary waves in a magnetized electron-positron (EP) plasma is studied using a fully relativistic two-fluid hydrodynamic model which accounts for physical regimes of both weakly relativistic $(P\ll nmc^2)$ and ultrarelativistic $(P\gg nmc^2)$ random thermal energies. Here, $P$ is the thermal pressure, $n$ the number density and $m$ the mass of a particle, and $c$ is the speed of light in vacuum. Previous theory in the literature [Phys. Plasmas \textbf{11}, 3078 (2004)] is advanced and generalized by the relativist…
The dynamical behaviors of electromagnetic (EM) solitons formed due to nonlinear interaction of linearly polarized intense laser light and relativistic degenerate plasmas are studied. In the slow motion approximation of relativistic dynamics, the evolution of weakly nonlinear EM envelope is described by the generalized nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger (GNLS) equation with local and nonlocal nonlinearities. Using the Vakhitov-Kolokolov criteria, the stability of an EM soliton solution of the GNLS equation is studied. Different stable and unstable regions are demonstrated with the effects of soliton velo…
High-density low-temperature plasmas with degenerate species are considered in the limit of high Fermi velocities close to the speed of light. The small amplitude ion-acoustic solitons are studied in this regime. Presented analysis is based on the relativistic hydrodynamic model with the average reverse gamma factor evolution consists of the equations for evolution of the following functions the concentration, the velocity field, the average reverse relativistic gamma factor, and the flux of the reverse relativistic gamma factor, which are considered as main hydrodynamic variables. Justificati…
The nonlinear interaction of intense linearly polarized electromagnetic waves (EMWs) with longitudinal electron density perturbations is revisited in relativistic degenerate plasmas. The nonlinear dynamics of the EMWs and the longitudinal field, driven by the EMW ponderomotive force, is governed by a coupled set of nonlinear partial differential equations. A numerical simulation of these coupled equations reveals that the generation of wakefields is possible in weakly relativistic degenerate plasmas with $R_0\equiv p_F/mc\ll1$ and $v_g/c\sim1$, where $p_F$ is the Fermi momentum, $m$ is the mas…
Propagation of large amplitude ion-acoustic solitary waves (IASWs) in a fully relativistic plasma consisting of cold ions and ultrarelativistic hot electrons and positrons is investigated using the Sagdeev's pseudopotential method in a relativistic hydrodynamics model. Effects of streaming speed of plasma fluid, thermal energy, positron density and positron temperature on large amplitude IASWs are studied by analysis of the pseudopotential structure. It is found that in regions that the streaming speed of plasma fluid is larger than that of solitary wave, by increasing the streaming speed of p…
A number of possible pulsar radio emission mechanisms are based on streaming instabilities in relativistically hot electron-positron pair plasmas. At saturation the unstable waves can form, in principle, stable solitary waves which could emit the observed intense radio signals. We searched for the proper plasma parameters which would lead to the formation of solitons, investigated their properties and dynamics as well as the resulting oscillations of electrons and positrons possibly leading to radio wave emission. We utilized a one-dimensional version of the relativistic Particle-in-Cell code …
The existence and the basic features of ion-acoustic (IA) envelope solitons in a self-gravitating degenerate quantum plasma system (SG-DQPS), containing inertial non-relativistically degenerate light and heavy ion species as well as inertialess non-relativistically degenerate positron and electron species, have been theoretically investigated by deriving the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation. The NLS equation, which governs the dynamics of the IA waves, has disclosed the modulationally stable and unstable regions for the IA waves. The unstable region allows to generate bright envelope solit…
The dynamics of the ultra-intense circularly polarized solitons under inhomogeneous plasmas are examined. The interaction is modeled by the Maxwell and relativistic hydrodynamic equations and is solved with fully implicit energy-conserving numerical scheme. It is shown that a propagating weak soliton can be decreased and reflected by increasing plasma background, which is consistent with the existing studies based on hypothesis of weak density response. However it is found that ultra-intense soliton is well trapped and kept still when encountering increasing background. Probably, this founding…
The basic properties of the nucleus-acoustic (NA) solitary waves (SWs) are investigated in a super-dense self-gravitating magnetized quantum plasma (SDSGMQP) system in the presence of an external magnetic field, whose constituents are the non-degenerate light (heavy) nuclei, and non/ultra-relativistically degenerate electrons. The Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation has been derived by employing the reductive perturbation method. The NA SWs are formed with negative (positive) electrostatic (self-gravitational) potential. It is also observed that the effects of non/ultra-relativistically degenerat…
Using the extended Poincaré-Lighthill-Kuo (PLK) reductive perturbation method to study the small-amplitude ion acoustic solitary wave (IASW) dynamics (propagation and interaction), it is shown that in Thomas-Fermi magneto-plasma consisting of inertial-less degenerate electrons and positrons and isothermal ions, distinctive features emerge when the ultra-relativistic degeneracy pressure applies to electrons and positrons. Calculations show that ion-acoustic solitary waves may interact differently in such plasmas under ultra-relativistic degeneracy pressure.
A self-consistent relativistic two-fluid model is proposed for one-dimensional electron-ion plasma dynamics. A multiple scales perturbation technique is employed, leading to an evolution equation for the wave envelope, in the form of a nonlinear Schrödinger type equation (NLSE). The inclusion of relativistic effects is shown to introduce density-dependent factors, not present in the non-relativistic case - in the conditions for modulational instability. The role of relativistic effects on the linear dispersion laws and on envelope soliton solutions of the NLSE is discussed.
Linear and nonlinear ion-acoustic waves are studied in a fluid model for non-relativistic, unmagnetized quantum plasma with electrons with an arbitrary degeneracy degree. The equation of state for electrons follows from a local Fermi-Dirac distribution function and apply equally well both to fully degenerate or classical, non-degenerate limits. Ions are assumed to be cold. Quantum diffraction effects through the Bohm potential are also taken into account. A general coupling parameter valid for dilute and dense plasmas is proposed. The linear dispersion relation of the ion-acoustic waves is obt…
The excitation of a non-linear ion-wake by a train of ultra-relativistic electron bubble wake [1]-[8] is modeled. The ion-wake is shown to be a driven non-linear ion-acoustic wave in the form of a cylindrical ion-soliton [11]-[14]. The phases of the oscillating radial electric fields of the slowly-propagating [21] electron bubble is asymmetric in time and excites time-averaged inertial ion motion radially. The electron compression in the back of the bubble sucks-in the ions and the space-charge within the bubble cavity expels them, driving a cylindrical ion-soliton structure with on-axis and b…
It is shown that the pair plasmas with small temperature asymmetry can support existence of localized as well as de-localized optical vortex solitons. Coexistence of such solitons is possible due to peculiar form of saturating nonlinearity which has a focusing-defocusing nature -- for weak amplitudes being focusing becoming defocusing for higher amplitudes. It is shown that delocalized vortex soliton is stable in entire region of its existence while single- and multi-charged localized vortex solitons are unstable for low amplitudes and become stable for relativistic amplitudes.
