Oblique Propagation of Nonlinear Magnetosonic Waves in Space Plasmas

摘要

Obliquely (with respect to the ambient magnetic field) propagating nonlinear magnetosonic waves in a hot plasma with an arbitrary beta are considered. It is shown that two dimensional propagation for the fast and slow modes is governed by the Kadomtsev-Petiashvilli soliton equation. Explicit expressions for the physical quantities involved are obtained via the soliton solution. Application to the distant magnetotail, and other possible applications in astrophysical and space plasmas are discussed.