Three-dimensional electroacoustic solitary waves induced by ion holes in magnetized plasmas

Properties of three-dimensional (3D) electrostatic solitary waves, introduced by ion holes in magnetized plasmas have been investigated. A modified Zakharov-Kuznetsov, equation or a 3D modified Korteweg-de Vries equation has been derived analytically and solved numerically. The 3D electroacoustic solitary waves have a stronger nonlinearity due to the trapping of hot ions in the localized electroacoustic wave potential, in contrast to that associated with the traditional harmonic generation. The obtained results exhibit 3D electroacoustic solitary structures with bipolar parallel electric fields similar to the ones observed by the S3-3, Viking, Freja, Fast Auroral Snapshot, and Polar spacecrafts in the auroral acceleration region of the Earth's magnetosphere. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.