Nonlinear hydromagnetic waves in a nonideal magnetohydrodynamic plasma: Exact translationally symmetric solutions

The time evolution of translationally symmetric hydromagnetic waves in a nonideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) plasma is investigated. Exact time-dependent wave solutions of the nonlinear resistive and dissipative MHD equations for the plasma within a cylindrical annulus are presented. It is shown that the magnetic field and the velocity have different damping time and that in the asymptotic limit t --> infinity the plasma relaxes toward the equilibrium state involving uniform rotation and no magnetic field. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1070-664X(99)01801-7].