Nonlinear development of phase-mixed alfvén waves

We derive an equation governing the nonlinear propagation of a linearly polarized Alfvén wave in a two-dimensional, anisotropic, slightly compressible, highly magnetized, viscous plasma, where nonlinearities arise from the interaction of the Alfvén wave with fast and slow magnetoacoustic waves. The phase mixing of such a wave has been suggested as a mechanism for heating the outer solar atmosphere (Heyvaerts and Priest, 1983). We find that cubic wave damping dominates shear linear dissipation whenever the Alfvén wave velocity amplitude δvy exceeds a few times ten metres per second. In the nonlinear regime, phase-mixed waves are marginally stable, while non-phase-mixed waves of wavenumber ka are damped over a timescale kuRe 0|δ vy/vA |−2, Re 0 being the Reynolds number corresponding to the Braginskij viscosity coefficient η0 and vA the Alfvén speed. Dissipation is most effective where β = (vs /vA) 2 ≈ 1, vs being the speed of sound.