Bibcode
Vranjes, J.
Bibliographical reference
Physics of Plasmas, Volume 22, Issue 5, id.052102
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5
2015
Journal
Citations
4
Refereed citations
4
Description
The Alfvén wave is analyzed in case of one quasineutral plasma
propagating with some constant speed v0 through another
static quasineutral plasma. A dispersion equation is derived describing
the Alfvén wave coupled with the flow driven mode ω = k
v 0 and solutions are discussed analytically and numerically.
The usual solutions for two oppositely propagating Alfvén waves
are substantially modified due to the flowing plasma. More profound is
modification of the solution propagating in the negative direction with
respect to the magnetic field and the plasma flow. For a large enough
flow speed (exceeding the Alfvén speed in the static plasma),
this negative solution may become non-propagating, with frequency equal
to zero. In this case, it represents a spatial variation of the
electromagnetic field. For greater flow speed it becomes a forward mode,
and it may merge with the positive one. This merging of the two modes
represents the starting point for a flow-driven instability, with two
complex-conjugate solutions. The Alfvén wave in interpenetrating
plasmas is thus modified and coupled with the flow-driven mode and this
coupled mode is shown to be growing when the flow speed is large enough.
The energy for the instability is macroscopic kinetic energy of the
flowing plasma. The dynamics of plasma particles caused by such a
coupled wave still remains similar to the ordinary Alfvén wave.
This means that well-known stochastic heating by the Alfvén wave
may work, and this should additionally support the potential role of the
Alfvén wave in the coronal heating.
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