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Nonlinear magnetoacoustic waves in a cold plasma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2007

G. ROWLANDS  and
M. A. ALLEN
G. ROWLANDS
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
M. A. ALLEN
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand (frmaa@mahidol.ac.th)
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Abstract

The equations describing planar magnetoacoustic waves of permanent form in a cold plasma are rewritten so as to highlight the presence of a naturally small parameter equal to the ratio of the electron and ion masses. If the magnetic field is not nearly perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation, this allows us to use a multiple-scale expansion to demonstrate the existence and nature of nonlinear wave solutions. Such solutions are found to have a rapid oscillation of constant amplitude superimposed on the underlying large-scale variation. The approximate equations for the large-scale variation are obtained by making an adiabatic approximation and in one limit, new explicit solitary pulse solutions are found. In the case of a perpendicular magnetic field, conditions for the existence of solitary pulses are derived. Our results are consistent with earlier studies which were restricted to waves having a velocity close to that of long-wavelength linear magnetoacoustic waves.

Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Plasma Physics , Volume 73 , Issue 4 , August 2007 , pp. 543 - 554
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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