The nonlinear propagation of quantum ion acoustic wave (QIAW) is investigated in a four-component plasma composed of warm classical positive ions and negative ions, as well as inertialess relativistically degenerate electrons and positrons. A nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived by using the reductive perturbation method, which governs the dynamics of QIAW packets. The modulation instability analysis of QIAWs is considered based on the typical parameters of the white dwarf. The results exhibit that both in the weakly relativistic limit and in the ultrarelativistic limit, the modulational instability regions are sensitively dependent on the ratios of temperature and number density of negative ions to those of positive ions respectively, and on the relativistically degenerate effect as well.

Two-dimensional nonlinear magnetosonic solitary and shock waves propagating perpendicular to the applied magnetic field are presented in quantum electron–positron–ion plasmas with strongly coupled classical ions and weakly coupled quantum electrons and positrons. The generalized viscoelastic hydrodynamic model is used for the ions and a quantum hydrodynamic model is introduced for the electrons and positrons. In the weakly nonlinear limit, a modified Kadomstev–Petviashvili (KP) equation with a damping term and a KP–Burgers equation have been derived in the kinetic regime and hydrodynamic regime, respectively. The analytical and numerical solutions of the modified KP and KP–Burgers equations are also presented and analysed with the typical parameters of a white dwarf star and pulsar magnetosphere, which show that the quantum plasma beta and the variation of positron number density have remarkable effects on the propagation of magnetosonic solitary and shock waves.