Study of non-Maxwellian trapped electrons by using generalized (r,q) distribution function and their effects on the dynamics of ion acoustic solitary wave

By using the generalized (r,q) distribution function, the effect of particle trapping on the linear and nonlinear evolution of an ion-acoustic wave in an electron-ion plasma has been discussed. The spectral indices q and r contribute to the high-energy tails and flatness on top of the distribution function respectively. The generalized Korteweg-de Vries equations with associated solitary wave solutions for different ranges of parameter r are derived by employing a reductive perturbation technique. It is shown that spectral indices r and q affect the trapping of electrons and subsequently the dynamics of the ion acoustic solitary wave significantly. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.