Planar and Nonplanar Shock Waves in a Degenerate Quantum Plasma

The nonlinear propagation of modified electron‐acoustic (mEA) shock waves in an unmagnetized, collisionless, relativistic, degenerate quantum plasma (containing non‐relativistic degenerate inertial cold electrons, both nonrelativistic and ultra‐relativistic degenerate hot electron and inertial positron fluids, and positively charged static ions) has been investigated theoretically. The well‐known Burgers type equation has been derived for both planar and nonplanar geometry by employing the reductive perturbation method. The shock wave solution has also been obtained and numerically analyzed. It has been observed that the mEA shock waves are significantly modified due to the effects of degenerate pressure and other plasma parameters arised in this investigation. The properties of planar Burgers shocks are quite different from those of nonplanar Burgers shocks. The basic features and the underlying physics of shock waves, which are relevant to some astrophysical compact objects (viz. non‐rotating white dwarfs, neutron stars, etc.), are briefly discussed. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)