Head on collision of multi ion acoustic solitons with arbitrary degenerate electrons

Abstract This study presents a head-on collision of ion-acoustic (IA) multiple solitons in unmagnetized quantum plasma with arbitrary degenerate electrons. The two-sided Korteweg–de Vries equations and phase shift associated with them have been derived using the extended Poincaré-Lighthill-Kuo (PLK) method. Depending on the quantum parameter’s value for the degenerate electrons, it is found that compressive and rarefactive solitons are formed. In addition, the Hirota bilinear approach is used to investigate the overtaking collision, and the expressions of phase shifts of multi-solitons interactions are determined. For a specific range of quantum diffraction, i.e, H < 2 compressional solitons propagating with supersonic speed, and for H > 2 the rarefactive solitons travelling with subsonic speed are found. A new nonlinear structure with a larger amplitude is produced during the collision in the interaction region. Graphically, the effects of different plasma parameters such as quantum diffraction and fugacity on interacting IA solitons structures and their associated phase shifts are investigated. The results of this study might help us to understand the collision of ion-acoustic solitons in an unmagnetized quantum plasma with arbitrary electrons degeneracy which can exist in astrophysical or laser plasma environment.