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Title: Polarizations of coupling kinetic Alfven and slow waves

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3609782· OSTI ID:22046871
 [1];  [1]
  1. Purple Mountain Observatory, CAS, Nanjing 210008 (China)

Kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) are dispersive Alfven waves with short perpendicular wavelengths and have been extensively applied to various energization phenomena of plasma particles. KAWs are coupled to slow magnetosonic waves in the case of a finite-{beta} plasma. In this paper, the electromagnetic polarization states of the coupling KAWs and slow waves are investigated. The results show that the polarization states of these waves depend sensitively on the local plasma parameters such as the ion-electron temperature ratio ({alpha}=T{sub i}/T{sub e}) and the plasma kinetic-magnetic pressure ratio ({beta}=2{mu}{sub 0}n(T{sub i}+T{sub e})/B{sup 2}) as well as their perpendicular wavenumber (k{sub perpendicular}){rho}{sub i}). The polarization states of waves play an important and key role in wave-particle interactions and hence have a great interest of understanding the physics of particle energization phenomena by these waves.

OSTI ID:
22046871
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 18, Issue 7; Other Information: (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English