Coronal heating by coupling of the magnetosonic and phase-mixed Alfvén waves

Abstract

The interaction of phase-mixed Alfvén waves with an inhomogeneous cold plasma density, transverse to magnetic field, may excite the non-linear fast magnetosonic waves. Phase mixing of the Alfvén waves produce strong transversal gradients in the amplitude. The strong transversal gradients in amplitude of the Alfvén wave leads to the dissipation of Alfvén wave energy. The dissipation of the phase-mixed Alfvén wave in inhomogeneous cold plasma is conversion to the non-linear excitation of the fast magnetosonic waves. The linear coupling of the phase-mixed Alfvén waves and fast magnetosonic waves may be a possible mechanism of solar coronal heating. Here, this heating mechanism has been considered with viscosity, resistivity and thermal conductivity in an inhomogeneous plasma medium.