Acceleration of ion phase-space holes due to interactions with ion solitons in a wave-guided plasma.

Ion phase-space holes are solitary kinetic structures found in the ion phase-space of collision-less plasmas, and are nonlinear solutions to the Vlasov-Poisson equations, identified as Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal (BGK) modes. In this study, interactions between an ion phase-space hole and a travelling ion KdV soliton is presented. This interaction, which is simulated in a fully ionised highly magnetised plasma within a cylindrical wave-guide, exhibits acceleration and deacceleration of the ion hole, depending on its mode of collision with the travelling ion soliton. We present these interactions and discuss the mechanism of this interaction between the two solitary waves.