Journal of Plasma Physics

Table of Contents - 2008 - Volume 74, Issue 03  

Letter to the Editor

Modulational instabilities of surface plasmons on metallic plasma surfaces with nanoparticles

P. K. SHUKLAa1a2a3 and L. STENFLOa2a4

a1 Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Ruhr University Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany (ps@tp4.ruhr-uni-bochum.de)

a2 Department of Physics, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden

a3 School of Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa

a4 Department of Physics (IFM), Linkoping University, Sweden

Abstract

The nonlinear coupling between high-frequency surface plasmons (SPs) and low-frequency ion oscillations on metallic plasma surfaces with charged nanoparticles is considered. It is shown that a finite-amplitude SP wave is modulationally unstable against the excitation of non-resonant ion oscillations. The growth rates and thresholds of the modulational instabilities are presented.

(Received November 03 2007)

(Accepted November 19 2007)

(Online publication January 08 2008)