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Modulational Instability of Two Longitudinal Waves in a Hot Electron Plasma
Author(s) -
Das K. P.,
Sihi S.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
beiträge aus der plasmaphysik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1521-3986
pISSN - 0005-8025
DOI - 10.1002/ctpp.19820220106
Subject(s) - modulational instability , physics , plasma , instability , amplitude , quantum electrodynamics , longitudinal wave , electron , waves in plasmas , nonlinear system , classical mechanics , wave propagation , quantum mechanics
By Whitham's method of averaged Lagrangian two coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations are derived that give the evolution of the amplitudes of two longitudinal waves, both propagating in the same direction in a hot electron plasma. It is found that a single wave is modulationally stable, while two waves together are modulationally unstable if either the difference between the group velocities of the two waves is sufficiently large, or if this difference is sufficiently small and a coefficient, which couples the two waves, is sufficiently large.