Applications of elliptic functions to ion-acoustic plasma waves

New several classes of exact solutions are obtained in terms of the Weierstrass elliptic function for some nonlinear partial differential equations modeling ion-acoustic waves as well as dusty plasmas in laboratory and space sciences. The Weierstrass elliptic function solutions of the Schamel equation, a fifth order dispersive wave equation and the Kawahara equation are constructed. Moreover, Jacobi elliptic function solutions and solitary wave solutions of the Schamel equation are also given. The stability of some periodic wave solutions is computationally studied.