Spatial evolution of a Langmuir wave excited by external sources in a weakly inhomogeneous electron plasma without external sources is considered for a small positive gradient of the plasma concentration in the direction of propagation of the wave. At the first state of the evolution, the dispersion of the wave is close to linear. When the phase velocity is doubled, the second stage of the evolution begins. The wave loses its individuality and becomes a hybrid of two waves. Its profile acquires the shape of an alternating sequence of fragments of these waves. The wave dispersion is determined by the dispersion of each fragment. In the course of evolution, the spacing between the equilibrium values of the wave fragments increases; as a result, the wave decays into two waves, which are also loaded by trapped electrons. Prior to decay, the humps of the wave become steeper; as a result, at the instant of the decay, the wave is transformed into a sequence of solitons with different polarities. (c) 2005 Pleiades Publishing, Inc.
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