Some unexplored features of the nonlinear compressive magnetoacoustic Alfvenic waves

TL;DR

This paper reveals that nonlinear magnetoacoustic Alfvenic waves inherently involve both compressional and shear magnetic field components, expanding the theoretical understanding and opening new avenues for research.

Contribution

It demonstrates that a complete nonlinear description of these waves must include shear components, which were previously neglected, simplifying the equations and enriching the wave theory.

Findings

Compressional and shear components obey identical nonlinear equations.

Inclusion of shear components broadens the scope of wave solutions.

New types of nonlinear solutions are identified.

Abstract

The theory of nonlinear magnetoacoustic wave in the past has strictly been focused on purely compressive features of the mode. We show that a complete set of nonlinear equations necessarily includes both compressional and shear components of the magnetic field. These two turn out to be described by exactly the same nonlinear equations, which make the use of such a complete full set of equations far less complicated than expected. Present results should considerably enrich the theory of these waves by opening up new frontiers of investigation and providing some completely new types of nonlinear solutions.