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Magnetohydrodynamic parametric instabilities driven by a standing Alfvén wave in a low-β plasma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2009

L. P. L. Oliveira
Affiliation:
Instituto de Fisica–Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15051, 91501–970 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
A. C.-L. Chian
Affiliation:
National Institute for Space Research—INPE, P.O. Box 515, 12201970 São José dos Campos SP, Brazil

Abstract

The stability of a finite-amplitude standing Alfvén wave of circular polarization in a low-β plasma is studied using a set of nonlinearly coupled MHD wave equations. In the presence of a standing Alfvén pump, two distinct gratings associated with the density fluctuations are excited: those due to the ponderomotive beating of the pump magnetic field, and those due the induced magnetic fluctuations. The roles played by the two gratings in the mode coupling are analysed. Both convective and purely growing regimes of the MHD parametric instabilities can be produced by a standing Alfvén wave. In both regimes, the maximum growth rate increases as the pump amplitude increases, and decreases as increases. Tn the presence of the second grating, a new unstable convective regime appears that widens the overall instability bandwidth.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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