Electrostatic drift-wave instability in a nonuniform quantum magnetoplasma with parallel velocity shear flows

The propagation of high and low frequency (in comparison with the cyclotron frequency) electrostatic drift-waves is investigated in a nonuniform, dense magnetoplasma (composed of electrons and ions), in the presence of parallel shear flow, by employing the quantum magnetohydrodynamic (QMHD) model. Using QMHD model, a new set of equations is presented in order to investigate linear properties of electrostatic drift-waves with sheared plasma flows for dense plasmas. In this regard, dispersion relations for coupled electron-thermal and drift-ion acoustic modes are derived and several interesting limiting cases are discussed. For instance, it is found that sheared ion flow parallel to the external magnetic field can drive the quantum drift-ion acoustic wave unstable, etc. The present investigation may have relevance in dense astrophysical environments where quantum effects are significant. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3491436]