Nonlinear whistler wave propagation in bi-Maxwellian plasmas

The coupling between electron whistlers and nonlinear ion-acoustic density fluctuations in a plasma with bi-Maxwellian distributed electrons is considered by including the combined effects of relativistic electron-mass variation and ponderomotive force nonlinearities. The coupled mode propagation is governed by a generalized system of Schrodinger-Boussinesq equations, which admits localized exact analytical solutions for stationary propagation. Parameter regimes for the existence of different types of soliton solutions are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.