The overtaking interaction of electron acoustic solitary waves in a plasma with hot non-extensive electrons

Abstract

In the present work, we investigate the propagation and overtaking interaction of electron-acoustic solitary waves (EASWs) in a plasma comprising cold electron fluid, hot nonextensive electrons and immobile ions. For this purpose, the Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation is derived for this model. Then Hirota’s direct method is used to the KdV equation to obtain multisoliton solution for studying the interaction process. Our one-dimensional plasma model supports rarefactive EASWs. For both single soliton and multisoliton solutions, the amplitude and velocity of the solitons increase with the increase of nonextensivity or superthermality of hot electrons. It is found that the temporal scale of collision between two solitons decreases with the decrease of nonextensive parameter $q$. The choice of propagation vectors on the interaction of the solitons is also significant. The present analysis may be helpful for further study of the modified bipolar or tripolar electric field signatures observed in the auroral zone.

KEYWORDS:

• Electron-acoustic waves
• solitary waves
• nonextensivity
• Hirota’s direct method

Acknowledgements

One of the authors, Rajkamal Kakoti, would like to thank Ministry of Education (Govt. of India) for granting Research Fellowship.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Human Resource Development [Grant Number SR/S9/Z-08I2018].

Notes on contributors

Rajkamal Kakoti

Rajkamal Kakoti has recently obtained his PhD (2021) in Physics from North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Nirjuli, India. He received his MSc degree (2015) in Physics from Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India and BSc (Hons. In Physics) degree (2013) from Gauhati University, Guwahati, India. His research interest focuses on Waves, Nonlinear structures in plasmas, Plasma simulation etc.

K. Saharia

K. Saharia, is currently working as assistant professor, Department of Physics, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Nirjuli, India. His research interest in theoretical plasma Physics mainly focuses waves, nonlinear coherent structures, sheath etc.