FREQUENCY AND DAMPING RATE OF FAST SAUSAGE WAVES

Abstract

We investigate the frequency and damping rate of fast axisymmetric waves that are subject to wave leakage for a one-dimensional magnetic cylindrical structure in the solar corona. We consider the ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) dispersion relation for axisymmetric MHD waves superimposed on a straight magnetic cylinder in the zero β limit, similar to a jet or loop in the solar corona. An analytic study accompanied by numerical calculations has been carried out to model the frequency, damping rate, and phase speed of the sausage wave around the cut-off frequency and in the long wavelength limit. Analytic expressions have been obtained based on equations around the points of interest. They are linear approximations of the dependence of the sausage frequency on the wave number around the cut-off wavelength for both leaky and non-leaky regimes and in the long wavelength limit. Moreover, an expression for the damping rate of the leaky sausage wave has been obtained both around the cut-off frequency and in the long wavelength limit. These analytic results are compared with numerical computations. The expressions show that the complex frequencies are mainly dominated by the density ratio. In addition, it is shown that the damping eventually becomes independent of the wave number in the long wavelength limit. We conclude that the sausage mode damping directly depends on the density ratios of the internal and external media where the damping declines in higher density contrasts. Even in the long wavelength limit, the sausage mode is weakly damped for high-density contrasts. As such, sausage modes could be observed for a significant number of periods in high-density contrast loops or jets.