Compressible disturbances propagate in a plasma in the form of magnetoacoustic waves driven by both gas pressure and magnetic forces. In partially ionized plasmas the dynamics of ionized and neutral species are coupled due to ion-neutral collisions. As a consequence, magnetoacoustic waves propagating through a partially ionized medium are affected by the ion-neutral coupling. The degree to which the behavior of the classic waves is modified depends on the physical properties of the various species and on the relative value of the wave frequency compared to the ion-neutral collision frequency. Here, we perform a comprehensive theoretical investigation of magnetoacoustic wave propagation in a partially ionized plasma using the two-fluid formalism. We consider an extensive range of values for the collision frequency, ionization ratio, and plasma $β$, so that the results are applicable to a wide variety of astrophysical plasmas. We determine the modification of the wave frequencies and study the frictional damping due to ion-neutral collisions. Approximate analytic expressions to the frequencies are given in the limit case of strongly coupled ions and neutrals, while numerically obtained dispersion diagrams are provided for arbitrary collision frequencies. In addition, we discuss the presence of cutoffs in the dispersion diagrams that constrain wave propagation for certain combinations of parameters. A specific application to propagation of compressible waves in the solar chromosphere is given.
We present a new insight into the propagation of ion magnetoacoustic and neutral acoustic waves in a magnetic arcade in the lower solar atmosphere. By means of numerical simulations, we aim to: (a) study two-fluid waves propagating in a magnetic arcade embedded in the partially-ionized, lower solar atmosphere; and (b) investigate the impact of the background magnetic field configuration on the observed wave-periods. We consider a 2D approximation of the gravitationally stratified and partially-ionized lower solar atmosphere consisting of ion+electron and neutral fluids that are coupled by ion-…
Context. The origin of the heating of the solar atmosphere is still an unsolved problem. As the photosphere and chromosphere radiate more energy than the solar corona, it is challenging but important to reveal all the mechanisms that contribute to plasma heating there. Ion-neutral collisions could play an important role. Aims. We aim to investigate the impulsively generated two-fluid magnetoacoustic waves in the partially ionized solar chromosphere and to study the associated heating and plasma outflows, which higher up may result in nascent solar wind. Methods. To describe the plasma dynamics…
We study vertical variations of wave-periods of magnetoacoustic two-fluid waves in the partially ionized lower solar atmosphere, consisting of ion (proton) + electron and neutral (atomic hydrogen) fluids, which are coupled by ion-neutral collisions. The study allows finding the wave period cutoffs and their variations in the solar atmosphere, as well as establishing the role of these cutoffs in determining the wave propagation conditions. The atmosphere is permitted by a uniform vertical magnetic field. We perform numerical simulations in the framework of a one-dimensional (1D), two-fluid mode…
Observations show that waves are ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere and may play an important role for plasma heating. The study of waves in the solar corona is usually based on linear ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) for a fully ionized plasma. However, the plasma in the photosphere and the chromosphere is only partially ionized. Here we investigate theoretically the impact of partial ionization on MHD wave propagation in cylindrical flux tubes in the two-fluid model. We derive the general dispersion relation that takes into account the effects of neutral-ion collisions and the neutral gas pr…
Partially ionized plasmas are found across the Universe in many different astrophysical environments. They constitute an essential ingredient of the solar atmosphere, molecular clouds, planetary ionospheres and protoplanetary disks, among other environments, and display a richness of physical effects which are not present in fully ionized plasmas. This review provides an overview of the physics of partially ionized plasmas, including recent advances in different astrophysical areas in which partial ionization plays a fundamental role. We outline outstanding observational and theoretical questi…
We consider quasi-stationary two-dimensional magnetic reconnection in a partially ionized incompressible plasma. We find that when the plasma is weakly ionized and the collisions between the ions and the neutral particles are significant, the transition to fast collisionless reconnection due to the Hall effect in the generalized Ohm's law is expected to occur at much lower values of the Lundquist number, as compared to a fully ionized plasma case. We estimate that these conditions for fast reconnection are satisfied in molecular clouds and in protostellar disks.
Context. It is known that Alfvén and magnetoacoustic waves both contribute to the heating of the solar chromosphere and drive plasma outflows. In both cases, the thermalization of the wave energy occurs due to ion-neutral collisions, but the obtained rates of plasma heating cannot explain the observational data. The same is true for the magnitudes of the outflows. Aims. The aim of the present paper is to reexamine two-fluid modeling of Alfvén and magnetoacoustic waves in the partially ionized solar chromosphere. We attempt to detect variations in the ion temperature, and vertical plasma flows …
Prominences or filaments are cool clouds of partially ionized plasma living in the solar corona. Ground- and space-based observations have confirmed the presence of oscillatory motions in prominences and they have been interpreted in terms of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. Existing observational evidence points out that these oscillatory motions are damped in short spatial and temporal scales by some still not well known physical mechanism(s). Since prominences are partially ionized plasmas, a potential mechanism able to damp these oscillations could be ion-neutral collisions. Here, we will …
We derive self-consistent formalism for the description of multi-component partially ionized solar plasma, by means of the coupled equations for the charged and neutral components for an arbitrary number of chemical species, and the radiation field. All approximations and assumptions are carefully considered. Generalized Ohm's law is derived for the single-fluid and two-fluid formalism. Our approach is analytical with some order-of-magnitude support calculations. After general equations are developed we particularize to some frequently considered cases as for the interaction of matter and radi…
We perform nonlinear MHD simulations to study the propagation of magnetoacoustic waves from the photosphere to the low corona. We focus on a 2D system with a gravitationally stratified atmosphere and three photospheric concentrations of magnetic flux that give rise to a magnetic null point with a magnetic dome topology. We find that a single wavepacket introduced at the lower boundary splits into multiple secondary wavepackets. A portion of the packet refracts towards the null due to the varying Alfvén speed. Waves incident on the equipartition contour surrounding the null, where the sound and…
A 2.5D numerical model of magnetoacoustic-Alfvén linear mode conversions in the partially ionised low solar atmosphere induced by the Hall effect is surveyed, varying magnetic field strength and inclination, and wave frequency and horizontal wave number. It is found that only the magnetic component of wave energy is subject to Hall-mediated conversions to Alfvén wave-energy via a process of polarisation rotation. This strongly boosts direct mode conversion between slow magneto\-acoustic and Alfvén waves in the quiet low chromosphere, even at mHz frequencies. However, fast waves there, which ar…
Prominences are partially ionized, magnetized plasmas embedded in the solar corona. Damped oscillations and propagating waves are commonly observed. These oscillations have been interpreted in terms of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. Ion-neutral collisions and non-adiabatic effects (radiation losses and thermal conduction) have been proposed as damping mechanisms. We study the effect of the presence of helium on the time damping of non-adiabatic MHD waves in a plasma composed by electrons, protons, neutral hydrogen, neutral helium (He I), and singly ionized helium (He II) in the single-fluid …
Alfvén waves are a particular class of magnetohydrodynamic waves relevant in many astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. In partially ionized plasmas the dynamics of Alfvén waves is affected by the interaction between ionized and neutral species. Here we study Alfvén waves in a partially ionized plasma from the theoretical point of view using the two-fluid description. We consider that the plasma is composed of an ion-electron fluid and a neutral fluid, which interact by means of particle collisions. To keep our investigation as general as possible we take the neutral-ion collision frequency an…
Oscillations and propagating waves are commonly seen in high-resolution observations of filament threads, i.e., the fine-structures of solar filaments/prominences. Since the temperature of prominences is typically of the order of 10^4 K, the prominence plasma is only partially ionized. In this paper, we study the effect of neutrals on the wave propagation in a filament thread modeled as a partially ionized homogeneous magnetic flux tube embedded in an homogeneous and fully ionized coronal plasma. Ohmic and ambipolar magnetic diffusion are considered in the basic resistive MHD equations. We num…
The Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI) has been observed in the solar atmosphere. Ion-neutral collisions may play a relevant role for the growth rate and evolution of the KHI in solar partially ionized plasmas as in, e.g., solar prominences. Here, we investigate the linear phase of the KHI at an interface between two partially ionized magnetized plasmas in the presence of a shear flow. The effects of ion-neutral collisions and compressibility are included in the analysis. We obtain the dispersion relation of the linear modes and perform parametric studies of the unstable solutions. We find tha…
Context. Recent observations of solar prominences show the presence of turbulent flows that may be caused by Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilites (KHI). However, the observed flow velocities are below the classical threshold for the onset of KHI in fully ionized plasmas. Aims. We investigate the effect of partial ionization on the onset of KHI in dense and cool cylindrical magnetic flux tubes surrounded by a hotter and lighter environment. Methods. The linearized governing equations of a partially ionized two-fluid plasma are used to describe the behavior of small-amplitude perturbations superimposed…
There is observational evidence of the presence of small-amplitude transverse magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves with a wide range of frequencies in the threads of solar prominences. It is believed that the waves are driven at the photosphere and propagate along the magnetic field lines up to prominences suspended in the corona. The dissipation of MHD wave energy in the partially ionized prominence plasma is a heating mechanism whose relevance needs to be explored. Here we consider a simple 1D model for a non-uniform thin thread and investigate the heating associated with dissipation of Alfven wa…
Context. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves are ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere. In magnetic waveguides resonant absorption due to plasma inhomogeneity naturally transfers wave energy from large-scale motions to small-scale motions. In the cooler parts of the solar atmosphere as, e.g., the chromosphere, effects due to partial ionization may be relevant for wave dynamics and heating. Aims. We study resonant Alfven waves in partially ionized plasmas. Methods. We use the multifluid equations in the cold plasma approximation. We investigate propagating resonant MHD waves in partially ionized flux …
Transverse oscillations of solar filament and prominence threads have been frequently reported. These oscillations have the common features of being of short period (2-10 min) and being damped after a few periods. Kink magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wave modes have been proposed as responsible for the observed oscillations, whereas resonant absorption in the Alfven continuum and ion-neutral collisions are the best candidates to be the damping mechanisms. Here, we study both analytically and numerically the time damping of kink MHD waves in a cylindrical, partially ionized filament thread embedded i…
Coronal rain clumps and prominence knots are dense condensations with chromospheric to transition region temperatures that fall down in the much hotter corona. Their typical speeds are in the range 30--150~km~s$^{-1}$ and of the order of 10--30~km~s$^{-1}$, respectively, i.e., they are considerably smaller than free fall velocities. These cold blobs contain a mixture of ionized and neutral material that must be dynamically coupled in order to fall together, as observed. We investigate this coupling by means of hydrodynamic simulations in which the coupling arises from the friction between ions…
In this paper, we show a "proof of concept" of the heating mechanism of the solar chromosphere due to wave dissipation caused by the effects of partial ionization. Numerical modeling of non-linear wave propagation in a magnetic flux tube, embedded in the solar atmosphere, is performed by solving a system of single-fluid quasi-MHD equations, which take into account the ambipolar term from the generalized Ohm's law. It is shown that perturbations caused by magnetic waves can be effectively dissipated due to ambipolar diffusion. The energy input by this mechanism is continuous and shown to be mor…
A new modeling way of describing the continuous absorption of electromagnetic (EM) radiation in dense partially ionized hydrogen plasma is tested in this work. It is shown that the obtained results give a possibility of calculating spectral absorption coefficients which characterize the relevant absorption processes in partially ionized hydrogen plasmas with electron densities $N_{e} \sim 10^{19}cm^{-3}$ and temperatures $T \approx 2\cdot 10^{4}K$. A key parameter of the used procedure is determined empirically. The calculation method is applied to wavelength region $300nm < λ< 500nm$. The pre…
We study the modification of the classical criterion for the linear onset and growth rate of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) in a partially ionized (PI) plasma in the one-fluid description, considering a generalized induction equation. The governing linear equations and appropriate boundary conditions, including gravitational terms, are derived and applied to the case of the RTI in a single interface between two partially ionized plasmas. The boundary conditions lead to an equation for the frequencies in which some of them have positive complex parts, marking the appearance of the RTI. W…
We study Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) at the coronal-prominence boundary by means of 2.5D numerical simulations in a single-fluid MHD approach including a generalized Ohm's law. The initial configuration includes a homogeneous magnetic field forming an angle with the direction in which the plasma is perturbed. For each field inclination we compare two simulations, one for the pure MHD case, and one including the ambipolar diffusion in the Ohm's law, otherwise identical. We find that the configuration containing neutral atoms is always unstable. The growth rate of the small-scale modes in …
We derive the dynamics of magnetohydrodynamic waves in two-fluid partially ionized plasmas and to compare the results with those obtained under single-fluid description. Two-fluid magnetohydrodynamic equations are used, where ion-electron plasma and neutral particles are considered as separate fluids. Dispersion relations of linear magnetohydrodynamic waves are derived for simplest case of homogeneous medium. Frequencies and damping rates of waves are obtained for different parameters of background plasma. We found that two- and single-fluid descriptions give similar results for low frequency …
The temperature and density conditions in the magnetized photosphere and chromosphere of the Sun lead to a very small degree of atomic ionization. In addition, at particular height, the magnetic field may be strong enough to give rise to a cyclotron frequency larger than the collisional frequency for some species, while for others the opposite may happen. These circumstances influence the collective behavior of the particles and some of the hypotheses of magnetohydrodynamics may be relaxed, giving rise to non-ideal MHD effects. In this paper we discuss our recent developments in modeling non-i…
We present a new insight into the propagation, attenuation and dissipation of two-fluid, torsional Alfvén waves in the context of heating of the lower solar atmosphere. By means of numerical simulations of the partially-ionized plasma, we solve the set of two-fluid equations for ion plus electron and neutral fluids in three-dimensional (3D) Cartesian geometry. We implement initially a current-free magnetic field configuration, corresponding to a magnetic flux-tube that is rooted in the solar photosphere and expands into the chromosphere and corona. We put the lower boundary of our simulation r…
The presence of neutral species in a plasma has been shown to greatly affect the properties of magnetohydrodynamic waves. For instance, the interaction between ions and neutrals through momentum transfer collisions causes the damping of Alfvén waves and alters their oscillation frequency and phase speed. When the collision frequencies are larger than the frequency of the waves, single-fluid magnetohydrodynamic approximations can accurately describe the effects of partial ionization, since there is a strong coupling between the various species. However, at higher frequencies, the single-fluid m…
Observed X-ray spectra of some isolated magnetized neutron stars display absorption features, sometimes interpreted as ion cyclotron lines. Modeling the observed spectra is necessary to check this hypothesis and to evaluate neutron star parameters.We develop a computer code for modeling magnetized neutron star atmospheres in a wide range of magnetic fields (10^{12} - 10^{15} G) and effective temperatures (3 \times 10^5 - 10^7 K). Using this code, we study the possibilities to explain the soft X-ray spectra of isolated neutron stars by different atmosphere models. The atmosphere is assumed to c…
Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the solar atmosphere are often performed under the assumption that the plasma is fully ionized. However, in the lower solar atmosphere a reduced temperature often results in only the partial ionization of the plasma. The interaction between the decoupled neutral and ionized components of such a partially ionized plasma produces ambipolar diffusion. To investigate the role of ambipolar diffusion in propagating wave characteristics in the photosphere and chromosphere, we employ the Mancha3D numerical code to model magnetoacoustic waves propagating through…
In many astrophysical environments the plasma is only partially ionized, and therefore the interaction of charged and neutral particles may alter both the triggering of reconnection and its subsequent dynamical evolution. We derive the tearing mode maximum growth rate for partially ionized plasmas in the cases of weak and strong coupling between the plasma and the neutrals. In addition, critical scalings for current sheet aspect ratios are presented in terms of Lundquist number and ion-neutral collision frequencies. In the decoupled regime the standard tearing mode is recovered with a small co…
The equation of state (EOS) for partially ionized carbon, oxygen, and carbon-oxygen mixtures at temperatures 3\times10^5 K <~ T <~ 3\times10^6 K is calculated over a wide range of densities, using the method of free energy minimization in the framework of the chemical picture of plasmas. The free energy model is an improved extension of our model previously developed for pure carbon (Phys. Rev. E, 72, 046402; arXiv:physics/0510006). The internal partition functions of bound species are calculated by a self-consistent treatment of each ionization stage in the plasma environment taking into acco…
In a weakly ionized plasma, the evolution of the magnetic field is described by a "generalized Ohm's law" that includes the Hall effect and the ambipolar diffusion terms. These terms introduce additional spatial and time scales which play a decisive role in the cascading and the dissipation mechanisms in magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. We determine the Kolmogorov dissipation scales for the viscous, the resistive and the ambipolar dissipation mechanisms. The plasma, depending on its properties and the energy injection rate, may preferentially select one of the these dissipation scales. thus det…
Alfven wave dynamics in partially ionized plasmas of the solar atmosphere shows that there is indeed a cut-off wavenumber, i.e. the Alfven waves with wavenumbers higher than the cut-off value are evanescent. The cut-off wavenumber appears in single-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) approximation but it is absent in a multi-fluid approach. Up to now, an explanation for the existence of the cut-off wavenumber is still missing. The aim of this paper is to point out the reason for the appearance of a cut-off wavenumber in single-fluid MHD. Beginning with three-fluid equations (with electrons, proton…
Viscosity is discussed in multicomponent partially and fully ionized plasma, and its effects on two very different waves (Alfven and Langmuir) in solar atmosphere. A full set of viscosity coefficients is presented which includes coefficients for electrons, protons and hydrogen atoms. These are applied to layers with mostly magnetized protons in solar chromosphere where the Alfven wave could in principle be expected. The viscosity coefficients are calculated and presented graphically for the altitudes between 700 and 2200 km, and required corresponding cross sections for various types of collis…
In this work is examined a new modeling way of describing the continuous absorption of electromagnetic (EM) radiation in a dense partially ionized hydrogen plasmas with electron densities about $5\cdot10^{18}$ cm$^{-3}$ - $1.5\cdot10^{19}$cm$^{-3}$ and temperatures about $1.6 \cdot10^{4}$ K - $2.5 \cdot 10^{4}$ K in the wavelength region $300 \textrm{nm} < λ< 500 \textrm{nm}$. The obtained results can be applied to the plasmas of the partially ionized layers of different stellar atmospheres.
The properties of surface waves in the partially ionized, incompressible magnetized plasma slab are investigated in the present work. The waves are affected by the non ideal MHD effects which causes the finite drift of the magnetic field in the medium. When the finite drift of the magnetic field is ignored, the characteristics of the wave propagation in the partially ionized plasma fluid is similar to the ideal MHD except now the propagation properties depend on the fractional ionization of the medium. In the presence of Hall diffusion, the propagation of the sausage and kink surface waves dep…
Chromospheric and prominence plasmas contain neutral atoms, which may change the plasma dynamics through collision with ions. Most of the atoms are neutral hydrogen, but a significant amount of neutral helium may also be present in the plasma with a particular temperature. Damping of MHD waves due to ion collision with neutral hydrogen is well studied, but the effects of neutral helium are largely unknown. We aim to study the effect of neutral helium in the damping of Alfven waves in solar partially ionized plasmas. We consider three-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) approximation, where one com…
The effects of charge exchange on waves propagating in weakly ionized plasmas are discussed. It is shown that for low-frequency processes, ions and neutrals should be treated as a single fluid with some effective charge on all of them. We have derived a new momentum equation which should be used in such an environment. As a result, the low-frequency magnetic waves can propagate even if particles are not magnetized, which is entirely due to the charge exchange and the fact that it is not possible to separate particles into two different populations as charged and neutral species. So there can b…
In this paper we present a numerical study of the dynamics of partially ionized coronal rain blobs. We use a two-fluid model to perform a high-resolution 2D simulation that takes into account the collisional interaction between the charged and neutral particles contained in the plasma. We follow the evolution of a cold plasma condensation as it falls through an isothermal vertically stratified atmosphere that represents the much hotter and lighter solar corona. We study the consequences of the different degrees of collisional coupling that are present in the system. On the one hand, we find th…
Ion-neutral collisions may lead to the damping of Alfven waves in chromospheric and prominence plasmas. Neutral helium atoms enhance the damping in certain temperature interval, where the ratio of neutral helium and neutral hydrogen atoms is increased. Therefore, the height-dependence of ionization degrees of hydrogen and helium may influence the damping rate of Alfven waves. We aim to study the effect of neutral helium in the damping of Alfven waves in stratified partially ionized plasma of the solar chromosphere. We consider a magnetic flux tube, which is expanded up to 1000 km height and th…
The cut-off of the Alfven wave, caused by plasma collisions with neutrals in multi-component partially ionized plasmas, is discussed. Full multi-component theory is used, and similarities and differences regarding the classic magnetohydrodynamic theory are presented. It is shown that the cut-off in partially ionized plasma in principle may remain the same as predicted in classic magnetohydrodynamic works, although multi-component theory also yields some essential differences. Due to electric field, the ion motion is intrinsically two-dimensional and this results in additional forced oscillatio…
The properties of surface waves in a partially ionized, compressible magnetized plasma slab are investigated in this work. The waves are affected by the nonideal magnetohydrodynamic effects which causes finite drift of the magnetic field in the medium. When the magnetic field drift is ignored, the characteristics of the wave propagation in a partially ionized plasma fluid is similar to the fully ionized ideal MHD except now the propagation properties depend on the fractional ionization as well as on the compressibility of the medium. The phase velocity of the sausage and kink waves increases m…
