Magnetosonic solutions, which are a generalization of the recently discovered relativistic zero-temperature soliton in including a self-consistent temperature, are found to exist, and are also highly electrically charged. The maximally allowed potential drop across the half-width of a relativistically propagating soliton is approximately 1/12(${\gamma }_{\mathrm{\infty }}$${)}^{1/2}$${\gamma }_{\mathit{t}\mathrm{\infty }}$${\mathrm{\beta }}_{\mathit{t}\mathrm{\infty }}$ GV when (${\gamma }_{\mathrm{\infty }}$${)}^{1/2}$${\gamma }_{\mathit{t}\mathrm{\infty }}$${\mathrm{\beta }}_{\mathit{t}\mathrm{\infty }}$≫1, where ${\gamma }_{\mathrm{\infty }}$ and ${\gamma }_{\mathit{t}\mathrm{\infty }}$ are the Lorentz factors of the soliton speed and background ion thermal speed, respectively. The soliton is reduced to the previously found cold one, which is charged up to 1 GV, when the above inequality is reversed.

• Received 3 July 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.44.6944