Abstract
Nonlinear equations governing the dynamics of finite amplitude drift acoustic waves are derived by taking into account sheared ion flow perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field in a quantum magnetoplasma comprising of ions and electrons. It is shown that stationary solution of the nonlinear equations can be represented in the form of a counter-rotating vortex for a particular choice of the equilibrium profile. The counter-rotating vortices are, however, observed to form on very short scales, i.e., of the order of ion Larmor radius rho(i) in quantum plasmas. The relevance of the present investigation with regard to dense astrophysical environments is also pointed out. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3208693]