Distinct features of Alfvén wave in non-extensive plasmas

Abstract

Since the time of its discovery, Alfvén wave has been the subject of attention in both theoretical and experimental plasma physics. To date, many different aspects of this wave have been studied using various models. In this study, we adopt linearized Vlasov–Maxwell system and investigate very important characteristics of the wave: electromagnetic field perturbation and Poynting flux, which gives a measure of the electromagnetic energy stored in the field. The plasma which supports the wave is considered to be non-extensive. It is found that the electromagnetic field behaves totally different from the Maxwellian case, and so does the resultant transport of energy. Due to the wide spectrum of the non-extensive parameter q, the results can incorporate a broad range of possibilities which suggest that the energy transport of the wave over short and long distances may somehow be controlled by the non-extensivity of the plasmas.