Improved Fluid Modeling of Space Debris Generated Ion-Acoustic Precursor Solitons

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Mir, Ajaz, Sen, Abhijit, Bandyopadhyay, Pintu, Tiwari, Sanat, Crabtree, Chris, Ganguli, Gurudas
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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author Mir, Ajaz
Sen, Abhijit
Bandyopadhyay, Pintu
Tiwari, Sanat
Crabtree, Chris
Ganguli, Gurudas
author_facet Mir, Ajaz
Sen, Abhijit
Bandyopadhyay, Pintu
Tiwari, Sanat
Crabtree, Chris
Ganguli, Gurudas
contents This study reexamines the excitation of ion-acoustic precursor solitons by a supersonically moving charged debris object, incorporating two previously overlooked physical factors: the dynamic charging of the debris and the impermeable nature of its surface. The influence of charging dynamics is explored using an enhanced one-dimensional fluid-Poisson model, where the source charge is treated as a dynamical variable and solved self-consistently alongside the core plasma equations. By comparing these results with prior fixed-charge models, we evaluate the effects on soliton onset and propagation, finding that charging dynamics does not hinder soliton generation or evolution. To assess the impact of the impermeability of debris surface, a two-dimensional fluid model simulates the interaction between an electrostatically biased, impenetrable object and a flowing plasma. Modeling the object as an infinite wall disconnects the upstream and downstream plasma regions, forming a sheath without solitons -- consistent with earlier fluid and particle-in-cell simulations. However, replacing the wall with a finite object enables plasma flow around it, restoring upstream-downstream connectivity and naturally generating precursor solitons.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_04338
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Improved Fluid Modeling of Space Debris Generated Ion-Acoustic Precursor Solitons
Mir, Ajaz
Sen, Abhijit
Bandyopadhyay, Pintu
Tiwari, Sanat
Crabtree, Chris
Ganguli, Gurudas
Plasma Physics
This study reexamines the excitation of ion-acoustic precursor solitons by a supersonically moving charged debris object, incorporating two previously overlooked physical factors: the dynamic charging of the debris and the impermeable nature of its surface. The influence of charging dynamics is explored using an enhanced one-dimensional fluid-Poisson model, where the source charge is treated as a dynamical variable and solved self-consistently alongside the core plasma equations. By comparing these results with prior fixed-charge models, we evaluate the effects on soliton onset and propagation, finding that charging dynamics does not hinder soliton generation or evolution. To assess the impact of the impermeability of debris surface, a two-dimensional fluid model simulates the interaction between an electrostatically biased, impenetrable object and a flowing plasma. Modeling the object as an infinite wall disconnects the upstream and downstream plasma regions, forming a sheath without solitons -- consistent with earlier fluid and particle-in-cell simulations. However, replacing the wall with a finite object enables plasma flow around it, restoring upstream-downstream connectivity and naturally generating precursor solitons.
title Improved Fluid Modeling of Space Debris Generated Ion-Acoustic Precursor Solitons
topic Plasma Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.04338