Precursor magneto-sonic solitons in a plasma from a moving charge bunch

Abstract

The nature of fore-wake excitations created by a charge bunch moving in a magnetized plasma is investigated using particle-in-cell simulations. Our studies establish for the first time the existence of precursor magneto-sonic solitons traveling ahead of a moving charge bunch. The nature of these excitations and the conditions governing their existence are delineated. We also confirm earlier molecular dynamic and fluid simulation results related to electrostatic precursor solitons obtained in the absence of a magnetic field. The electromagnetic precursors could have interesting practical applications such as in the interpretation of observed nonlinear structures during the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth and the Moon and may also serve as useful tracking signatures of charged space debris traveling in the ionosphere.