Nonlinear resonant absorption of fast magnetoacoustic waves in strongly anisotropic and dispersive plasmas

Journal Article · Wed Apr 15 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3104714· OSTI ID:21276984

Clack, Christopher T. M.; Ballai, Istvan ^[1]

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1. Solar Physics and Space Plasma Research Centre (SP2RC), Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH (United Kingdom)

The nonlinear theory of driven magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) waves in strongly anisotropic and dispersive plasmas, developed for slow resonance by Clack and Ballai [Phys. Plasmas 15, 2310 (2008)] and Alfven resonance by Clack et al. [Astron. Astrophys. 494, 317 (2009)], is used to study the weakly nonlinear interaction of fast magnetoacoustic (FMA) waves in a one-dimensional planar plasma. The magnetic configuration consists of an inhomogeneous magnetic slab sandwiched between two regions of semi-infinite homogeneous magnetic plasmas. Laterally driven FMA waves penetrate the inhomogeneous slab interacting with the localized slow or Alfven dissipative layer and are partly reflected, dissipated, and transmitted by this region. The nonlinearity parameter defined by Clack and Ballai (2008) is assumed to be small and a regular perturbation method is used to obtain analytical solutions in the slow dissipative layer. The effect of dispersion in the slow dissipative layer is to further decrease the coefficient of energy absorption, compared to its standard weakly nonlinear counterpart, and the generation of higher harmonics in the outgoing wave in addition to the fundamental one. The absorption of external drivers at the Alfven resonance is described within the linear MHD with great accuracy.

• OSTI ID: 21276984
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 16; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ALFVEN WAVES
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
ANISOTROPY
FAST MAGNETOACOUSTIC WAVES
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PLASMA