Electrostatic wave interaction via asymmetric vector solitons as precursor to rogue wave formation in non-Maxwellian plasmas

Abstract

An asymmetric pair of coupled nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger (CNLS) equations has been derived through a multiscale perturbation method applied to a plasma fluid model, in which two wavepackets of distinct carrier wavenumbers and amplitudes are allowed to co-propagate and interact. The original fluid model was set up for a non-magnetized plasma consisting of cold inertial ions evolving against a $κ-$distributed electron background in 1D. The reduction procedure resulting in the CNLS equations has provided analytical expressions for the dispersion, self-modulation and cross-coupling coefficients in terms of the carrier wavenumbers. The system admits various types of vector solitons (VSs), physically representing nonlinear localized electrostatic plasma modes. The possibility for either bright (B) or dark (D) type excitations for either of the two waves provides four combinations for the envelope pair (BB, BD, DB, DD). Moreover, the soliton parameters are also calculated for each type of VS in its respective area of existence. The dependence of the VS characteristics on the carrier wavenumbers and the spectral index $κ$ has been explored. In certain cases, the amplitude of one component may exceed its counterpart (second amplitude) by a factor 2.5 or higher, indicating that extremely asymmetric waves may be formed due to modulational interactions among the wavepackets. As $κ$ decreases from large values, modulational instability (MI) occurs in larger areas of the parameter plane(s) and with higher growth rates. The distribution of different types of VSs on the parameter plane(s) also varies significantly with decreasing $κ$, and in fact dramatically for $κ$ between $3$ and $2$. Deviation from the Maxwell-Boltzmann picture therefore seems to favor MI as a precursor to the formation of bright (predominantly) type envelope excitations and freak waves.