Abstract
The description of oscillations in inhomogeneous magnetohydrodynamic plasmas in terms of spatial Fourier modes is extended beyond the previous analyses of the incompressible case to a fully compressible plasma in a rigid box. Attention is focused upon the cusp and Alfvén continua and the discrete fast-mode spectrum. As well as providing a convenient method of numerical solution, the modal approach yields novel insights: in particular, the energy ultimately 'absorbed' resonantly is just that initially (and always) residing in the continua, and is readily calculated.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 591-609 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Plasma Physics |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue number | PART 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 1997 |