An Introduction To Alfven Waves

This valuable introduction to the physics of Alfven waves in laboratory and space plasmas is accessible to anyone with a elementary knowledge of plasma physics. The book will give graduate students all the background information necessary to understand the research literature. Much of the material is recent and may contain some surprises even for experts.

Low-frequency wave modes of magnetized inhomogeneous plasmas have been subject to intense study in the last decade because they play important roles in the transport of energy in the plasmas. The "Alfvén wave heating" scheme has been investigated as a supplementary heating scheme for fusion plasma devices, and it has been invoked as a model of the heating of the solar and stellar coronae. This book covers the latest research into the properties and applications of low-frequency wave modes in magnetized plasmas, the Alfvén waves and magneto-acoustic waves, in the context of laboratory, space and astrophysical plasmas. In particular, non-ideal effects on the dispersion relation and absorption properties of linear and non-linear waves are included, such as ion-cyclotron effects, friction between the ionized plasma and a background gas of neutral atoms, and the interaction of the plasma with dust particles. The book also surveys the theory of Alfvén and magnetoacoustic waves in inhomogeneous plasmas, as occur in realistic laboratory, space and astrophysical plasmas, with resulting localized wave modes such as surface waves. Waves are considered under a variety of plasma conditions, ranging from cold cosmic plasmas, to hot laboratory and solar plasmas, to the relativistic plasmas around pulsars.

An interdisciplinary review of recent advances in Alfvén wave research Alfvén waves are fundamental to the dynamics of space plasmas. Recent advances in our knowledge about Alfvén waves have come from several directions, including new space missions to unexplored heliospheric regions, sophisticated rocket campaigns in the auroral zone, enlarged magnetometer arrays and radar networks, and significant advances in computer modeling. Alfvén Waves Across Heliophysics: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities is an interdisciplinary collaboration from different space science communities to review recent and current Alfvén wave research. Volume highlights include: Alfvén waves in the solar atmosphere Alfvén waves at the giant planets Alfvén waves at Mars Alfvén waves in moon-magnetosphere systems Alfvén waves in geospace Alfvén waves in the laboratory The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals.

This book provides a systematic introduction to the observation and application of kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) in various plasma environments, with a special focus on the solar-terrestrial coupling system. Alfven waves are low-frequency and long-wavelength fluctuations that pervade laboratory, space and cosmic plasmas. KAWs are dispersive Alfven waves with a short wavelength comparable to particle kinematic scales and hence can play important roles in the energization and transport of plasma particles, the formation of fine magneto-plasma structures, and the dissipation of turbulent Alfven waves. Since the 1990s, experimental studies on KAWs in laboratory and space plasmas have significantly advanced our understanding of KAWs, making them an increasingly interesting subject. Without a doubt, the solar–terrestrial coupling system provides us with a unique natural laboratory for the comprehensive study of KAWs. This book presents extensive observations of KAWs in solar and heliospheric plasmas, as well as numerous applications of KAWs in the solar-terrestrial coupling system, including solar atmosphere heating, solarwind turbulence, solar wind-magnetosphere interactions, and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. In addition, for the sake of consistency, the book includes the basic theories and physical properties of KAWs, as well as their experimental demonstrations in laboratory plasmas. In closing, it discusses possible applications of KAWs to other astrophysical plasmas. Accordingly, the book covers all the major aspects of KAWs in a coherent manner that will appeal to advanced graduate students and researchers whose work involves laboratory, space and astrophysical plasmas.

Perturbation electric and magnetic fields carry in excess of 10(exp10) to 10(exp12) W of electrical power between the magnetosphere and high-latitude ionosphere. Most of this power is generated by the solar wind. The ionosphere at large spatial and temporal scales acts as a dissipative slab which can be characterized by its height-integrated Pedersen conductivity sigma p, so that the power flux into the ionosphere due to a quasi-static electric field E is given by sigma (pE2) The energy transferred to the ionosphere by time-varying electromagnetic fields in the form of Alfven waves is more difficult to calculate because density and conductivity gradients can reflect energy. Thus, field resonances and standing wave patterns affect the magnitude and altitude distribution of electrical energy dissipation. We use a numerical model to calculate the frequency-dependent electric field reflection coefficient of the ionosphere and show that the ionosphere does not behave as a simple resistive slab for electric field time scales less than a few seconds. Time variation of spacecraft-measured high-latitude electric and perturbation magnetic fields is difficult to distinguish from spatial structuring that has been Doppler-shifted to a non-zero frequency in the spacecraft frame. However, by calculating the frequency-dependent amplitude and phase relations between fluctuating electric and magnetic fields we are able to show that low frequency fields (

“An Introduction to Waves and Oscillations in the Sun” is intended for students and researchers who work in the area of solar and astrophysics. This book contains an introduction to the Sun, basics of electrodynamics, magneto-hydrodynamics for force-free and current-free fields. It deals with waves in uniform media with relevance to sound waves and Alfven waves, and with waves in non-uniform media like surface waves or waves in a slab and cylindrical geometry. It also touches on instabilities in fluids and observational signatures of oscillations. Finally, there is an introduction to the area of helio-seismology, which deals with the internal structure of the Sun.

Waves and oscillations are found in large scales (galactic) and microscopic scales (neutrino) in nature. Their dynamics and behavior heavily depend on the type of medium through which they propagate.Waves and Oscillations in Nature: An Introduction clearly elucidates the dynamics and behavior of waves and oscillations in various mediums. It present