Non-linear interaction of the kinetic Alfvén waves and the filamentation process in the solar wind plasma

Center for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi 110016, India e-mail: rpsharma@ces.iitd.ernet.in

Received: 19 December 2005
Accepted: 16 May 2005

Abstract

We have considered two parallel propagating kinetic Alfvén waves (KAW) propagating in a plasma with β in the limit (). The spatial amplification and ultimately filamentation of a perturbation present on one of the KAW has been studied, especially in the presence of second KAW. Nonlinear evolution of the perturbation, present on the main KAW, into the filamentary structures and its dependence on various parameters of the second KAW has been investigated in detail for solar wind parameters. These filamentary structures can act as a source for the particle acceleration by wave particle interaction because the KAW are mixed modes and Landau damping is possible. The relevance of this work to the solar wind turbulence spectrum and the energization of heliosphere particles by the solar wind is discussed.