Damping of Longitudinal Magneto–Acoustic Oscillations in Slowly Varying Coronal Plasma

We investigate the propagation of MHD waves in a magnetised plasma in a weakly stratified atmosphere, representative of hot coronal loops. In most earlier studies, a time-independent equilibrium was considered. Here we abandon this restriction and allow the equilibrium to develop as a function of time. In particular, the background plasma is assumed to be cooling due to thermal conduction. The cooling is assumed to occur on a time scale greater than the characteristic travel times of the perturbations. We investigate the influence of cooling of the background plasma on the properties of magneto–acoustic waves. The MHD equations are reduced to a 1D system modelling magneto–acoustic modes propagating along a dynamically cooling coronal loop. A time-dependent dispersion relation that describes the propagation of the magneto–acoustic waves is derived using the WKB theory. An analytic solution for the time-dependent amplitude of waves is obtained, and the method of characteristics is used to find an approximate analytical solution. Numerical calculations of the analytically derived solutions are obtained to give further insight into the behaviour of the MHD waves in a system with a variable, time-dependent background. The results show that there is a strong damping of MHD waves and the damping also appears to be independent of the position along the loop. Studies of MHD wave behaviour in a time-dependent backgrounds seem to be a fundamental and very important next step in the development of MHD wave theory that is applicable to a wide range of situations in solar physics.     

Nonlinear wave propagation along a magnetic flux tube

The weakly nonlinear wave propagation of a slow sausage surface wave traveling along a magnetized slab with a thin nonuniform boundary layer is considered. The ideal incompressible MHD equations are used and the nonlinearities are assumed to be due to second harmonic generation. A nonlinear dispersion relation and the related nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived. The existence of a continuous thin interface leads to sharply peaked field amplitudes due to resonant interaction with local Alfvén waves. It is shown that the nonlinear effects from processes within the thin layer are much more important than those from the main slab. Furthermore, the nonlinear interaction with local Alfvén waves yields a nonlinear damping rate of the wave that is much larger than the linear damping rate when the transition layer is sufficiently thin.     

New exact solutions for nonlinear solitary waves in Thomas-Fermi plasmas with (G′/G)-expansion method

The nonlinear propagation of ion acoustic waves in an ideal plasmas containing degenerate electrons is investigated. The Korteweg-de-Vries (K-dV) equation is derived for ion acoustic waves by using reductive perturbation method. The analytical traveling wave solutions of the K-dV equation investigated, through the (G′/G)-expansion method. These traveling wave solutions are expressed by hyperbolic function, trigonometric functions are rational functions. When the parameters are taken special values, the solitary waves are derived from the traveling waves. Also, numerically the effect different parameters on these solitary waves investigated and it is seen that exist only the compressive solitary waves in Thomas-Fermi plasmas.     

Effect of Variable Background on an Oscillating Hot Coronal Loop

We investigate the effect of a variable, i.e. time-dependent, background on the standing acoustic (i.e. longitudinal) modes generated in a hot coronal loop. A theoretical model of 1D geometry describing the coronal loop is applied. The background temperature is allowed to change as a function of time and undergoes an exponential decay with characteristic cooling times typical for coronal loops. The magnetic field is assumed to be uniform. Thermal conduction is assumed to be the dominant mechanism for damping hot coronal oscillations in the presence of a physically unspecified thermodynamic source that maintains the initial equilibrium. The influence of the rapidly cooling background plasma on the behaviour of standing acoustic (longitudinal) waves is investigated analytically. The temporally evolving dispersion relation and wave amplitude are derived by using the Wenzel–Kramers–Brillouin theory. An analytic solution for the time-dependent amplitude that describes the influence of thermal conduction on the standing longitudinal (acoustic) wave is obtained by exploiting the properties of Sturm–Liouville problems. Next, numerical evaluations further illustrate the behaviour of the standing acoustic waves in a system with a variable, time-dependent background. The results are applied to a number of detected loop oscillations. We find a remarkable agreement between the theoretical predictions and the observations. Despite the emergence of the cooling background plasma in the medium, thermal conduction is found to cause a strong damping for the slow standing magneto–acoustic waves in hot coronal loops in general. In addition to this, the increase in the value of thermal conductivity leads to a strong decay in the amplitude of the longitudinal standing slow MHD waves.     

Oscillations of coronal loops and second pulsations of solar radio emission

The dispersion properties of the sausage eigenmodes of oscillations in a thin magnetic flux tube are numerically analyzed in terms of ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The period of the modes accompanied by the emission of MHD waves into the surrounding medium, which leads to acoustic damping of oscillations, is determined by the radius of the tube, not by its length. The dissipation of the sausage oscillations in comparatively high (?0.7R _⊙) and tenuous (?6 × 10⁸ cm^?3) coronal loops is considered. Their Q factor has bound found to be determined by the acoustic damping mechanism. The ratio of the plasma densities outside and inside the loop and the characteristic height of the emission source have been estimated by assuming the quasi-periodic pulsations of meter-wavelength radio emission to be related to the sausage oscillations.     

Viscous Damping of Non-Adiabatic MHD Waves in an Unbounded Solar Coronal Plasma

The damping of MHD waves in solar coronal magnetic field is studied taking into account thermal conduction and compressive viscosity as dissipative mechanisms. We consider viscous homogeneous unbounded solar coronal plasma permeated by a uniform magnetic field. A general fifth-order dispersion relation for MHD waves has been derived and solved numerically for different solar coronal regimes. The dispersion relation results three wave modes: slow, fast, and thermal modes. Damping time and damping per periods for slow- and fast-mode waves determined from dispersion relation show that the slow-mode waves are heavily damped in comparison with fast-mode waves in prominences, prominence–corona transition regions (PCTR), and corona. In PCTRs and coronal active regions, wave instabilities appear for considered heating mechanisms. For same heating mechanisms in different prominences the behavior of damping time and damping per period changes significantly from small to large wavenumbers. In all PCTRs and corona, damping time always decreases linearly with increase in wavenumber indicate sharp damping of slow- and fast-mode waves.     

Bifurcations of dust acoustic solitary waves and periodic waves in an unmagnetized plasma with nonextensive ions

Bifurcations of dust acoustic solitary waves and periodic waves in an unmagnetized plasma with q-nonextensive velocity distributed ions are studied through non-perturbative approach. Basic equations are reduced to an ordinary differential equation involving electrostatic potential. After that by applying the bifurcation theory of planar dynamical systems to this equation, we have proved the existence of solitary wave solutions and periodic wave solutions. Two exact solutions of the above waves are derived depending on the parameters. From the solitary wave solution and periodic wave solution, the effect of the parameter (q) is studied on characteristics of dust acoustic solitary waves and periodic waves. The parameter (q) significantly influence the characteristics of dust acoustic solitary and periodic structures.     

Heating of coronal loops by fast mode MHD waves

A possible mechanism for the formation and heating of coronal loops through the propagation and damping of fast mode waves is proposed and studied in detail. Loop-like field structures are represented by a dipole field with the point dipole at a given distance below the solar surface. The density of the medium is determined by hydrostatic equilibrium along the field lines in an isothermal atmosphere. The fast mode waves propagating outward from the coronal base are refracted into regions with a low Alfvén speed and suffer collisionless damping when the gas pressure becomes comparable to the magnetic pressure. The propagation and damping of these waves are studied for three different cases: a uniform density at the coronal base, a density depletion within a given flux tube, and a density enhancement within a given flux tube. The fast mode waves are found to be important in the formation and heating of the loops if the wave energy flux density is of the order 10⁵ ergs cm^-2 s^-1 at the coronal base.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Quantum treatment of kinetic Alfvén wave

Dispersion properties of kinetic Alfvén wave in quantum magnetoplasma are derived. The quantum contribution to the Landau damping of kinetic Alfvén wave is also derived by using linearized Vlasov equation which contains the Bohm quantum potential. Classical Landau damped kinetic Alfvén waves play an important role in turbulence of astrophysical plasmas. The quantum modification in Landau damping of kinetic Alfvén wave can also play a significant role in changing the scaling law of turbulent spectra as well as the formation of damped localized Alfvénic structures in dense astrophysical plasmas.     

Small Amplitude Nonlinear Dust Acoustic Wave Propagation in Saturn's F, G and E Rings

Nonlinear properties of small amplitude dust acoustic waves, incorporatingboth the ion inertial effect and dust drift effect have been studied.The effect of dust charge variation is also incorporated. It is seen thatdue to the dust charge variation, a Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equationwith positive or negative damping term depending on the wave velocityand the ring parameters governes the nonlinear dust acoustic wave. It isseen that the damping or growth arises due to the assumption that dusthydrodynamical time scale is much smaller than that of the dust chargingscale. This assumption is valid only for planetary rings such as Saturn'sF, G and E rings. Numerical investigations reveal thatall the three rings in F, G and E, dust acoustic solitary wave admits both negative and positive potentials. Instability arises from the available freeenergy of drift motion of dust grains only for the wave with wave velocity 0, the drift velocity of the dust.     

Ion acoustic solitary and shock waves with nonextensive electrons and thermal positrons in nonplanar geometry

The nonlinear wave structures of ion acoustic waves (IAWs) in an unmagnetized plasma consisting of nonextensive electrons and thermal positrons are studied in bounded nonplanar geometry. Using reductive perturbation technique we have derived cylindrical and spherical Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers’ (KdVB) equations for IAWs. The presence of nonextensive q-distributed electrons is shown to influence the solitary and shock waves. Furthermore, in the existence of ion kinematic viscosity, the shock wave structure appears. Also, the effects of nonextensivity of electrons, ion kinematic viscosities, positron concentration on the properties of ion acoustic shock waves (IASWs) are discussed in nonplanar geometry. It is found that both compressive and rarefactive type solitons or shock waves are obtained depending on the plasma parameter.     

The Effect of a Twisted Magnetic Field on the Nature of Kink MHD Waves

We consider a pressureless plasma in a thin magnetic-flux tube with a twisted magnetic field. We study the effect of twisted magnetic field on the nature of propagating kink waves. To do this, the restoring forces of oscillations in the linear ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) were obtained. In the presence of a twisted magnetic field, the ratio of the magnetic-tension force to the gradient of the magnetic pressure increases for the mode with negative azimuthal wave number, but it decreases for the mode with positive azimuthal wave number. For the kink mode with positive azimuthal mode number, the ratio of the forces is more affected by the twisted magnetic field in dense loops. For the kink mode with negative azimuthal mode number, the perturbed magnetic pressure is negligible under some conditions. The magnetic twist increases (diminishes) the damping of the kink waves with positive (negative) azimuthal mode number due to resonant absorption. Our conclusion is that introducing a twisted magnetic field breaks the symmetry between the nature of the kink waves with positive and negative azimuthal wave number, and the wave can be a purely Alfvénic wave in the entire loop.     

The problem of phase mixed shear Alfvén waves in the solar corona revisited

The problem of phase mixing of shear Alfvén waves is revisited taking into account dissipative phenomena specific for the solar corona. In regions of space plasmas where the dynamics is controlled by the magnetic field, transport coefficients become anisotropic with transport mechanism having different behavior and magnitude depending on the orientation with respect to the ambient magnetic field. Taking into account realistic values for dissipative coefficients we obtain that the previous results derived in context of torsional Alfvén wave phase mixing are actually heavily underestimated so phase mixing cannot be used to explain the damping of torsional Alfvén waves and heating of open coronal structures. The presented results indicate that in order for phase mixing to still be a viable mechanism to explain heating or wave damping unrealistic assumptions have to be made. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The characteristics of ion acoustic shock waves in non-Maxwellian plasmas with (G′/G)-expansion method

Korteweg-de-Vries-Burger (K-dVB) equation is derived for ion acoustic shock waves in electron-positron-ion plasmas. Electrons and positrons are considered superthermal and are effectively modeled by a kappa distribution in which ions are as cold fluid. The analytical traveling wave solutions of the K-dVB equation investigated, through the (G′/G)-expansion method. These traveling wave solutions are expressed by hyperbolic function, trigonometric functions are rational functions. When the parameters are taken special values, the shock waves are derived from the traveling waves. It is observed that the amplitude ion acoustic shock waves increase as spectral index κ and kinematic viscosity η _i,0 increases in which with increasing positron density β and electron temperature σ the shock amplitude decreases. Also, numerically the effect different parameters on the nonlinearity A and dispersive B terms and wave velocity V investigated.     

A torsional wave model for solar radio pulsations

One of the widely accepted models for solar radio pulsations invokes radial oscillations of a magnetic flux tube. Due to acoustic, radiative damping, this theory does not easily explain the long length of the pulse trains, the large modulation depths or the great stability of the pulse repetition rate often observed. Torsional waves efficiently modulate synchrotron emission, and since they do not undergo radiative damping, can produce stable pulse repetition rates and long pulse trains.     

Bifurcations of electron acoustic traveling waves in an unmagnetized quantum plasma with cold and hot electrons

Bifurcations of nonlinear electron acoustic solitary waves and periodic waves in an unmagnetized quantum plasma with cold and hot electrons and ions has been investigated. The one dimensional quantum hydrodynamic model is used to study electron acoustic waves (EAWs) in quantum plasma. Applying the well known reductive perturbation technique (RPT), we have derived a Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation for EAWs in an unmagnetized quantum plasma. By using the bifurcation theory and methods of planar dynamical systems to this KdV equation, we have presented the existence of two types of traveling wave solutions which are solitary wave solutions and periodic traveling wave solutions. Under different parametric conditions, some exact explicit solutions of the above waves are obtained.     

Heating of Jupiter’s thermosphere by the dissipation of upward propagating acoustic waves

Thunderstorms in Jupiter’s atmosphere are likely to be prodigious generators of acoustic waves, as are thunderstorms in Earth’s atmosphere. Accordingly, we have used a numerical model to study the dissipation in Jupiter’s thermosphere of upward propagating acoustic waves. Model simulations are performed for a range of wave periods and horizontal wavelengths believed to characterize these acoustic waves. The possibility that the thermospheric waves observed by the Galileo Probe might be acoustic waves is also investigated. Whereas dissipating gravity waves can cool the upper thermosphere through the effects of sensible heat flux divergence, it is found that acoustic waves mainly heat the Jovian thermosphere through effects of molecular dissipation, sensible heat flux divergence, and Eulerian drift work. Only wave-induced pressure gradient work cools the atmosphere, an effect that operates at all altitudes. The sum of all effects is acoustic wave heating at all heights. Acoustic waves and gravity waves heat and cool the atmosphere in fundamentally different ways. Though the amplitudes and mechanical energy fluxes of acoustic waves are poorly constrained in Jupiter’s atmosphere, the calculations suggest that dissipating acoustic waves can locally heat the thermosphere at a significant rate, tens to a hundred Kelvins per day, and thereby account for the high temperatures of Jupiter’s upper atmosphere. It is unlikely that the waves detected by the Galileo Probe were acoustic waves; if they were, they would have heated Jupiter’s thermosphere at enormous rates.     

Optical layouts of the WSO-UV spectrographs

Electron acoustic blow up solitary waves and periodic waves are studied in a classical unmagnetized plasma containing cold electron fluid, kappa distributed hot electrons and stationary ions. We obtain Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation for electron acoustic waves (EAWs) using the reductive perturbation technique (RPT). Applying bifurcation theory of planar dynamical systems to the obtained KdV equation, we prove the existence of electron acoustic blowup solitary and periodic wave solutions. Depending on different physical parameters, two types of exact explicit solutions of the mentioned waves are derived. Our model may be applied to explain blow up solitary and periodic wave features that may occur in the planetary magnetosphere and the plasma sheet boundary layer.     

Numerical Simulations of Torsional Alfvén Waves in Axisymmetric Solar Magnetic Flux Tubes

We numerically investigate Alfvén waves propagating along an axisymmetric and non-isothermal solar flux tube embedded in the solar atmosphere. The tube magnetic field is current-free and diverges with height, and the waves are excited by a periodic driver along the tube magnetic field lines. The main results are that the two wave variables, the velocity and magnetic field perturbations in the azimuthal direction, behave differently as a result of gradients of the physical parameters along the tube. To explain these differences in the wave behavior, the time evolution of the wave variables and the resulting cutoff period for each wave variable are calculated and used to determine regions in the solar chromosphere where strong wave reflection may occur.