Modulational electrostatic wave–wave interactions in plasma fluids modeled by asymmetric coupled nonlinear Schrödinger (CNLS) equations

The interaction between two co-propagating electrostatic wavepackets characterized by arbitrary carrier wavenumber is considered. A one-dimensional (1D) non-magnetized plasma model is adopted, consisting of a cold inertial ion fluid evolving against a thermalized (Maxwell–Boltzmann distributed) electron background. A multiple-scale perturbation method is employed to reduce the original model equations to a pair of coupled nonlinear Schrödinger (CNLS) equations governing the dynamics of the wavepacket amplitudes (envelopes). The CNLS equations are in general asymmetric for arbitrary carrier wavenumbers. Similar CNLS systems have been derived in the past in various physical contexts, and were found to support soliton, breather, and rogue wave solutions, among others. A detailed stability analysis reveals that modulational instability (MI) is possible in a wide range of values in the parameter space. The instability window and the corresponding growth rate are determined, considering different case studies, and their dependence on the carrier and the perturbation wavenumber is investigated from first principles. Wave–wave coupling is shown to favor MI occurrence by extending its range of occurrence and by enhancing its growth rate. Our findings generalize previously known results usually associated with symmetric NLS equations in nonlinear optics, though taking into account the difference between the different envelope wavenumbers and thus group velocities.