Longitudinal simple waves in a plasma with anisotropic pressure (Q810332)

Simple waves propagating along a magnetic-field in an anisotropic plasma are studied on the basis of a system of magnetohydrodynamic equations that takes into account the ionic thermal energy fluxes. Earlier it was shown that the waves investigated may be of two types and the nature of the variation of the parameters of these waves as functions of density was explored. Below, exact solutions are obtained for both types of waves and it is shown that the wave with the lesser phase velocity may break on the expansion interval, while the profile of the wave with the greater phase velocity always breaks on the compression interval.