Modulational instability of ion-acoustic waves in a dense quantum plasma

Abstract

Modulational instability of ion-acoustic (IA) waves is investigated in an unmagnetized quantum plasma by adopting an equation of state for Fermi electron gas. To this end, a basic set of one-dimensional quantum hydrodynamic equations is reduced to a nonlinear Schrödinger equation using the reductive perturbation method. Quantum corrections are described using a nondimensional quantum parameter H proportional to the quantum diffraction parameter. Based on normalized electron temperature and chemical potential, new quantum criteria of modulational instability for IA waves are obtained and analyzed. Moreover, formation of rogue waves due to the modulational instability of IA waves and propagation of modulated IA packets in the form of bright and dark envelope solitons are examined for two different types of astrophysical plasma regions: white dwarf stars and warm dense matter.