title: Weakly nonlinear ion-acoustic excitations in a relativistic model for dense quantum plasma.
abstract: The dynamics of linear and nonlinear ionic-scale electrostatic excitations propagating in a magnetized relativistic quantum plasma is studied. A quantum-hydrodynamic model is adopted and degenerate statistics for the electrons is taken into account. The dispersion properties of linear ion acoustic waves are examined in detail. A modified characteristic charge screening length and "sound speed" are introduced, for relativistic quantum plasmas. By employing the reductive perturbation technique, a Zakharov-Kuznetzov-type equation is derived. Using the small-k expansion method, the stability profile of weakly nonlinear slightly supersonic electrostatic pulses is also discussed. The effect of electron degeneracy on the basic characteristics of electrostatic excitations is investigated. The entire analysis is valid in a three-dimensional as well as in two-dimensional geometry. A brief discussion of possible applications in laboratory and space plasmas is included.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, New Damietta, P.O. 34517, Egypt.|Centre for Plasma Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Behery
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.affiliation: Centre for Plasma Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kourakis