Nonlinear Flute-Drift Waves in Relativistic Electron-Positron Plasmas

A set of two-fluid equations governing the nonlinear dynamics of flute-drift waves in an inhomogeneous collisionless magnetized relativistic electron- positron plasma in a gravitational field is derived. It is shown that a rigorous description of these waves in a plasma with inhomogeneous density and temperature has to take into account both the magnetic viscosity and the magnetic field compression (the finite β effect). It is shown that contrary to the case of a cold (nonrelativistic) plasma a flute instability can also exist in a plasma with a homogeneous density and inhomogeneous temperature. Our new equations have solitary solutions in the form of exponentially localized dipolar vortices.