Interaction of Schamel type solitary waves with superthermal trapped electrons

The expanded Poincar'e-Lighthill-Kuo approach is used to explore the collision of Schamel type ion acoustic solitary waves. The phase shift, the most crucial characteristic, is calculated using specific solutions on the basis of the Schamel type Korteweg-de Vries equations. It has been revealed that, in given regime of physically acceptable conditions, the effects of electron confinement and superthermality have a significant influence in altering the phase shift. The results will be a valuable contribution to ongoing research on plasma waves interactions as well as to inquiries into a number of laboratory plasma experiments.