Journal of Plasma Physics

Table of Contents - 1979 - Volume 21, Issue 02  

Research Article

Transverse instability of soliton solutions to nonlinear Schrödinger equations

D. Andersona1, A. Bondesona1 and M. Lisaka1

a1 Institute for Electromagnetic Field Theory and EURATOM-FUSION Research (EVR-NE), Chalmers University of Technology, S-402 20 Göteborg, Sweden

Abstract

An inverstigation is made of the transverse instability of plane soliton solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, including the case of an exponential nonlinearity. The analysis is based on a variational method, where specific trial functions are applied for the perturbations. Explicit expressions for the growth rates are given, showing good agreement with numerical results.

(Received April 29 1978)

(Revised September 19 1978)