HR: 1340h
AN: SM23A-0479    [Abstracts]
TI: Phase mixing of Alfven waves in 2D configurations
AU: * Fruit, G
EM: fruit@math.waikato.ac.nz
AF: The University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 2001 New Zealand
AU: Craig, I
EM: i.craig@math.waikato.ac.nz
AF: The University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 2001 New Zealand
AU: Louarn, P
EM: louarn@cesr.fr
AF: CESR, 9 avenue du Colonel Roche, Toulouse, 31000 France, Metropolitan
AB: The phase mixing of shear Alfven waves in various non homogeneous 2D geometries is analysed. An inhomogeneous bounded system may be considered as a collection of oscillators coupled by friction. Each field line oscillates at its own frequency and becomes more and more out of phase with its neighbours. The phase mixing creates large transverse gradients which strongly enhances the energy dissipation. Here, we solve an initial value problem (1) in a X-point configuration and (2) in a Harris sheet with a small transverse magnetic field. Both viscous and resistive terms are taken into account. We compute the rate of dissipation of the initial energy and we discuss the influence of the ratio eta/nu on this rate.
DE: 7827 Kinetic and MHD theory
DE: 7871 Waves and instabilities
DE: 2744 Magnetotail
DE: 2752 MHD waves and instabilities
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting