scholarly journals Absolute and convective instabilities of parallel propagating circularly polarized Alfvén waves: Decay instability

2004 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4178-4187 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Ruderman ◽  
D. Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Alfven Waves ◽  
Alfvén Waves ◽  
Circularly Polarized ◽  
Decay Instability ◽  
Convective Instabilities

Parametric instabilities of finite-amplitude, circularly polarized Alfvén waves in an anisotropic plasma

1993 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiromitsu Hamabata
Keyword(s):  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Alfven Waves ◽  
Mhd Equations ◽  
Alfvén Waves ◽  
Linear Perturbation ◽  
Plasma Parameters ◽  
Circularly Polarized ◽  
Pressure Anisotropy ◽  
Parametric Instabilities ◽  
Fifth Order

A class of parametric instabilities of finite-amplitude, circularly polarized Alfvén waves in a plasma with pressure anisotropy is studied by application of the CGL equations. A linear perturbation analysis is used to find the dispersion relation governing the instabilities, which is a fifth-order polynomial and is solved numerically. A large-amplitude, circularly polarized wave is unstable with respect to decay into three waves: one sound-like wave and two side-band Alfvén-like waves. It is found that, in addition to the decay instability, two new instabilities that are absent in the framework of the MHD equations can occur, depending on the plasma parameters.

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