ROTATIONAL DISCONTINUITIES OF LOW-FREQUENCY NONLINEAR ALFVEN WAVES IN A PLASMA

Propagation of Alfven waves in a plasma with n(e) approximate to n(i) approximate to 1cm(-3) and beta(e) approximate to beta(i) approximate to 1 is considered. A study cm is made of the stationary structure produced due to the interaction of one Alfven wave with an other Alfven wave that has a longitudinally perturbed amplitude and parameters close to the threshold of the modulation instability. Perturbation is assumed to consist of an infinite number of longitudinal modes. Recursive iteration relationships for both the presence and absence of collisional plasma dissipation are derived. On the basis of these relationships, two types of stationary structures with rotational discontinuities in the absence of dissipation are considered.