Behavior of a nonlinear Langmuir wave close to open-quotes breakingclose quotes

Explicit solutions are found for the electric field, potential, and electron density of a Langmuir wave in an isotropic plasma with finite temperature, valid in the open-quotes wave-breakingclose quotes region, which can be regarded as a generalization of the results of Akhiezer and Polovin [Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 30, 915 (1956)]. It is shown that the wave amplitude is bounded by a quantity that depends on the temperature and phase velocity. The wave period increases as a function of amplitude, and near the amplitude corresponding to wave breaking the solution has a soliton-like behavior. For finite temperatures and large amplitudes extended regions occur within which the electric field is nearly zero. The electron density remains bounded and has a striated structure for sufficiently large amplitudes. 6 refs., 4 figs