Electrostatic Nonplanar Positron-Acoustic Shock Waves in Superthermal Electron-Positron-Ion Plasmas

Abstract

Abstract The basic properties of the nonlinear propagation of the nonplanar (cylindrical and spherical) positron-acoustic (PA) shock waves (SHWs) in an unmagnetized electron-positron-ion (e-p-i) plasma containing immobile positive ions, mobile cold positrons, and superthermal (kappa distributed) hot positrons and electrons are investigated both analytically and numerically. The modified Burgers equation (mBE) is derived by using the reductive perturbation method. The basic features of PA SHWs are significantly modified by the cold positron kinematic viscosity (η), superthermal parameter of electrons (κe), superthermal parameter of hot positrons (κp), the ratio of the electron temperature to hot positron temperature (σ), the ratio of the electron number density to cold positron number density and the ratio of the hot positron number density to cold positron number density (μph). This study could be useful to identify the basic properties of nonlinear electrostatic disturbances in dissipative space and laboratory plasmas.