Large Amplitude Alfvén Waves in Partially Ionized Plasmas

Abstract

In this paper it is analyzed the propagation of large amplitude Alfvén waves in partially ionized plasmas (PIP) when electronic pressure, Hall and ambipolar terms of Ohm’s law are taken into account. Instead of linearizing and developing the perturbation in monochromatic waves, it is proposed that the perturbation satisfy the Alfvén wave’s conditions. As a result, a solution is found that in the fully ionized limit, it coincides with Sallago and Platzeck solution for Alfvénwaves in Hall magnetohydrodynamics (doi:10.1029/2003JA009920 ). Furthermore, if electronic pressure and Hall terms are null, in the linearized limit, the damping is equal to the one described by De Pontieu, B. Martens, P. C. H. and Hudson, H. S. (DOI = 10.1086/322408), if one imposes that the plasma is a perfect conductor.