Resonant Absorption of Standing Magnetohydrodynamic Waves in Coronal Loops in the Absence of Directional Symmetry: The Effect of Plasma Flow

Abstract

Abstract The oscillation properties of standing magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves in coronal loops have been investigated. The coronal loop is modeled as a straight cylinder with a purely longitudinal magnetic field and a field-aligned plasma flow. The loop model includes an inhomogeneous transitional layer that causes the wave to be resonantly damped. Our aim is to determine the damping rate of the standing MHD waves in flowing loops, in which the directional symmetry of the loop has been broken due to the presence of plasma flow. To do this, the standing wave has been considered as the superposition of two propagating waves with opposite directions of propagation but the same oscillation frequency and damping rate. Due to the absence of directional symmetry in the loop, it seems that the propagating components of the standing wave cannot have the same oscillation frequency and damping rate. To overcome this problem, in the perturbation method employed, we let both the oscillation frequency and damping rate be perturbed. As the flow speed increases the oscillation frequency of the standing wave decreases but its damping rate increases. As a result, the ratio of the oscillation frequency to the damping rate of the standing wave becomes a more decreasing function of the flow speed. The flow is an important quantity in determining the effectiveness of resonant absorption. In flowing loops even in the case of a thin transitional layer, resonant absorption can result in a damping rate on the order of the period time, which is in agreement with observations.