ISSN:
1089-7674
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
It is shown that compressional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wave modes excited in the macroscopic vicinity of a magnetic field null in an otherwise strongly magnetized plasma damp at a rate consistent with a Q of order ln[LVA/η], where L is the characteristic length scale of the magnetic configuration, VA is the typical Alfvén speed, η is the relevant diffusion coefficient, such as the resistivity, and by Q we mean the ratio real frequency/damping rate. This result is shown to be valid for two-dimensional nulls, where the field is zero on some line, as well as for three-dimensional nulls, i.e., for cusp-like configurations. Thus field nulls are extremely efficient convertors of compressional MHD wave energy to thermal energy. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.870959
