Compressional Alfvénic shocks and solitary waves in plasmas

Abstract

We present a review of recent results for compressional Alfvénic shocks and solitary waves in electron-ion and electron-positron plasmas, which are governed by the two-fluid equations, coupled with Faraday's and Ampère's laws. We consider large amplitude compressional Alfvénic shock waves and solitary pulses in a warm collisional electron-ion (e-i) magnetoplasma, and large amplitude compressional Alfvénic solitary pulses in magnetized e-i and electron-positron (e-p) plasmas. These nonlinear structures can exist in well defined speed ranges above the Alfvén speed. They can be associated with localized electromagnetic field excitations in magnetized laboratory and space plasmas that are composed of electrons, ions, and/or positrons.