Dissipation of non-linear circularly polarized Alfven waves

R. Turkmani; U. Torkelsson

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Dissipation of non-linear circularly polarized Alfven waves

R. Turkmani·U. Torkelsson

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Abstract

We study propagating Alfven waves by solving the time-dependent equations of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) in one dimension numerically. In a homogeneous medium the circularly polarized Alfven wave is an exact solution of the ideal MHD equations, and therefore it does not suffer from any dissipation. A high-amplitude linearly polarized Alfven wave, on the other hand, steepens and form current sheets, in which the Poynting flux is lost. In a stratified medium, however, a high-amplitude circularly polarized Alfven wave can also lose a significant fraction of its Poynting flux.

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R. Turkmani, U. Torkelsson. 2001-11-05. Dissipation of non-linear circularly polarized Alfven waves. https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0111073

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