Nonlinear oblique propagation of magnetohydrodynamic waves in the solar wind

Abstract

Oblique propagating magnetohydrodynamic waves with various wave forms and amplitudes are observed both at the Earth's foreshock and at comets. The possibility of interpreting some observational results in terms of nonlinear evolution of one- and two-dimensional hydromagnetic waves is investigated. For this purpose both analytical and numerical techniques are employed. It is found that an initial monochromatic wave changes its polarization giving origin to magnetosonic shocks and rotational discontinuities; the time evolution of density-magnetic-field correlation is studied, as a function of the plasma parameters and of the propagation angle. In the two-dimensional case both a transverse instability and a self-focusing effect may take place. Moreover, a two-dimensional magnetosonic solution is found, in which the density fluctuations are driven by the total pressure fluctuation as in a one-dimensional simple wave. These theoretical predictions compare well with the features observed in the solar-wind waves.