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The dynamics of two-dimensional s-polarized solitary waves is investigated with the aid of particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. Instead of the usual excitation of the waves with a laser pulse, the PIC code was directly initialized with the numerical solutions from the fluid plasma model. This technique allows the analysis of different scenarios including the theoretical problems of the solitary wave stability and their collision as well as features already measured during laser-plasma experiments such as the emission of electromagnetic bursts when the waves reach the plasma-vacuum interface, or their expansion on the ion time scale, usually named post-soliton evolution. Waves with a single density depression are stable whereas multihump solutions decay to several waves. Contrary to solitons, two waves always interact through a force that depends on their relative phases, their amplitudes, and the distance between them. On the other hand, the radiation pattern at the plasma-vacuum interface was characterized, and the evolution of the diameter of different waves was computed and compared with the "snow plow" model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of weakly dispersive nonlinear Alfven waves propagating either parallel or oblique to the ambient magnetic field is investigated through the derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equation (DNLS) perturbed by nonlinear Landau damping. The dynamics is analyzed with the aid of a numeric algorithm based on the inverse scattering transform (IST) and an adiabatic model that takes advantages of the perturbed DNLS invariants. Both techniques are applied to five types of DNLS soliton and multisoliton solutions: (i) the parallel Alfven soliton, (ii) the bright and dark one-parameter oblique, (iii) the breather two-parameter oblique, (iv) two parallel Alfven solitons, and (v) the combination of a dark and a bright oblique solitons. For the parallel solitons, the adiabatic model describes correctly the dynamics and it also recovers the well-known result given by the perturbed IST. Due to the radiation emission and the formation of dark solitons, the behavior of oblique solitons is more complicated and multisoliton solutions are required in the adiabatic model. The analysis shows that parallel solitons develop into the normal regime, whereas the oblique waves leads to the formation of dark solitons and breathers with a wavepacket form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the dynamics of localized solutions of the relativistic cold-fluid plasma model in the small but finite amplitude limit, for slightly overcritical plasma density. Adopting a multiple scale analysis, we derive a perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equation that describes the evolution of the envelope of circularly polarized electromagnetic field. Retaining terms up to fifth order in the small perturbation parameter, we derive a self-consistent framework for the description of the plasma response in the presence of localized electromagnetic field. The formalism is applied to standing electromagnetic soliton interactions and the results are validated by simulations of the full cold-fluid model. To lowest order, a cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a focusing nonlinearity is recovered. Classical quasiparticle theory is used to obtain analytical estimates for the collision time and minimum distance of approach between solitons. For larger soliton amplitudes the inclusion of the fifth-order terms is essential for a qualitatively correct description of soliton interactions. The defocusing quintic nonlinearity leads to inelastic soliton collisions, while bound states of solitons do not persist under perturbations in the initial phase or amplitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rogue waves, in the form of giant breathers, are shown to develop in the Alfvén wave (AW) turbulence regime described by the randomly driven derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the presence of a weak dissipation. The distribution of the instantaneous global maxima of the AW intensity fluctuations is seen to be accurately fitted by power laws, which contrasts with the integrable regime (absence of dissipation and forcing) where the behavior is rather exponential. As the dissipation is reduced, freak waves form less frequently but reach larger amplitudes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]