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Alfvén wave

An Alfvén wave, named after Hannes Alfvén, is a type of magnetohydrodynamic (or hydromagnetic) wave.

An Alfvén wave in plasma is produced by ions low frequency oscillations about their equilibrium positions. It is represented by a sine-wave shaped magnetic field variation confined to a plane.

In an electrically charged gas, the magnetic field wave period vibrations are perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave (known as a transverse wave).

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01-04-2007 01:21:04