Modulational instability of dust-ion-acoustic waves and associated envelope solitons in a non-thermal plasma

Abstract: A theoretical investigation has been made to understand the mechanism of the formation of both bright and dark envelope soltions associated with dust-ion-acoustic waves (DIAWs) propagating in an unmagnetized three component dusty plasma medium having inertial warm positive ions and negative dust grains, and inertialess non-thermal Cairns' distributed electrons. A nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger equation (NLSE) is derived by employing reductive perturbation method. The effects of plasma parameters, viz., $\gamma_2$ (the ratio of the positive ion temperature to electron temperature times the charge state of ion) and $\nu$ (the ratio of the charge state of negative dust grain to positive ion) on the modulational instability of DIAW which is governed by NLSE, are extensively studied. It is found that increasing the value of the ion (electron) temperature reduces (enhances) the critical wave number ($k_c$). The results of our present theoretical work may be used to interpret the nonlinear electrostatic structures which can exist in many astrophysical environments and laboratory plasmas.