HR: 0830h
AN: SH11D-1129    [PDF]
TI: Alfv\'{e}n Waves in Multi-ion Coronal Plasma: Observational Implications
AU: * Ofman, L
EM: ofman@waves.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: Department of Physics The Catholic University of America, NASA GSFC Code 682, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Nakariakov, V M
EM: valery@astro.warwick.ac.uk
AF: Physics Department University of Warwick, Physics Department University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 &AL United Kingdom
AU: Davila, J M
AF: NASA GSFC, NASA GSFC Code 682, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AB: We investigate low-frequency Alfv\'{e}n waves in a multi-ion coronal plasma by deriving the dispersion relation of the linearized three-fluid equations in magnetized plasma with coronal parameters. We study the effect of collisions on the velocity amplitude of minor ions due to the Alfv\'{e}n waves compared to the proton wave amplitude. We find that in the collisionless plasma the minor ion velocity is reduced by the factor $Z/A$ compared to protons, where $Z$ is the ion charge, and $A$ is mass in units of proton mass. When the collision frequency is much larger then the Alfv\'{e}n wave frequency the velocity amplitude of the minor ions is equal to the proton velocity amplitude. We show the effects of minor ions and collisions on the dispersion relation of Alfv\'{e}n waves in the three fluid plasma. In view of our results we show how the observed nonthermal line broadening of minor ions relates to the wave motions of protons as a function of heliocentric distance, and the plasma physical parameters.
DE: 7509 Corona
DE: 7511 Coronal holes
DE: 7524 Magnetic fields
DE: 7827 Kinetic and MHD theory
DE: 7867 Wave/particle interactions
SC: SPA - Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting