SIII 21Solitons and Oscillitons in the Solar Wind

K. Sauer , E. Dubinin , J. McKenzie 
Solitons and oscillitons are stationary, nonlinear structures which may exist in collisionless plasmas. Special emphasis is devoted to oscillitons as a new type of stationary, nonlinear waves which was first discovered in bi-ion plasmas (Sauer et al., 2001). These waves are characterized by spatial oscillations superimposed on the spatial growth and decay associated with a normal soliton. In a single-ion plasma oscillitons may arise in the whistler frequency range (whistler oscillitons) due to the electromagnetic momentum coupling between the electron and proton fluids. In the multi-component solar wind a great variety of stationary wave solutions of the governing fluids equations in form of solitons and oscillitons has been described. A summary of possible structures and their relevance to observed phenomena (like magnetic holes) is given.