The one-dimensional two-species quantum hydrodynamic model is considered in the limit of small mass ratio of the charge carriers. Closure is obtained by adopting an equation of state pertaining to a zero-temperature Fermi gas for the electrons and by disregarding pressure effects for the ions. By an appropriate rescaling of the variables, a nondimensional parameter H, proportional to quantum diffraction effects, is identified. The system is then shown to support linear waves, which in the limit of small H resemble the classical ion-acoustic waves. In the weakly nonlinear limit, the quantum plasma is shown to support waves described by a deformed Korteweg–de Vries equation which depends in a nontrivial way on the quantum parameter H. In the fully nonlinear regime, the system also admits traveling waves which can exhibit periodic patterns. The quasineutral limit of the system is also discussed.

Quantum Zakharov equations are obtained to describe the nonlinear interaction between quantum Langmuir waves and quantum ion-acoustic waves. These quantum Zakharov equations are applied to two model cases, namely the four-wave interaction and the decay instability. In the case of the four-wave instability, sufficiently large quantum effects tend to suppress the instability.For the decay instability, the quantum Zakharov equations lead to results similar to those of the classical decay instability except for quantum correction terms in the dispersion relations. Some considerations regarding the nonlinear aspects of the quantum Zakharov equations are also offered.

By means of the Nyquist method, we investigate the linear stability of electrostatic waves in homogeneous equilibria of quantum plasmas described by the Wigner-Poisson system. We show that, unlike the classical Vlasov-Poisson system, the Wigner-Poisson case does not necessarily possess a Penrose functional determining its linear stability properties. The Nyquist method is then applied to a two-stream distribution, for which we obtain an exact, necessary and sufficient condition for linear stability, as well as to a bump-in-tail equilibrium.

The Poisson structures for 3D systems possessing one constant of motion can always be constructed from the solution of a linear PDE. When two constants of the motion are available the problem reduces to a quadrature and the structure functions include an arbitrary function of them

Ermakov systems possessing Noether point symmetry are identified among the Ermakov systems that derive from a Lagrangian formalism and, the Ermakov invariant is shown to result from an associated symmetry of dynamical character. The Ermakov invariant and the associated Noether invariant, are sufficient to reduce these systems to quadratures. PACS number(s): 02.30. Hg, 02.90.+p, 03.20.+i