Nonlinear Alfvén/Beltrami waves—An integrable structure built around the Casimir

We formulate a nonlinear wave equations that describe amplitude and pitch modulations of one-dimensional Alfvén waves propagating on a dispersive nonlinear plasma. The well-known fact that the ideal Alfvén wave can propagate on a homogeneous ambient magnetic field with conserving an arbitrary wave shape of any amplitude is explained by invoking the Casimirs stemming from a “topological defect” (or, a kernel) in the Poisson bracket operator of the ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) system. Including the Hall term, however, the Alfvén waves are affected by the dispersive effect, and the aforementioned simplicity of the ideal Alfvén waves is greatly lost; an arbitrary wave can no longer propagate with a constant shape. Yet, we observe an integrable structure in the nonlinear modulation (induced by a compressible motion) of the Alfvén waves, which is described as nonlinear deformation of “Beltrami vortex” pertaining to the Casimirs.

► A new system of equations delineates the integrable structure of the Alfvén waves. ► The nonlinear Alfvén waves are constructed from the Beltrami vortex. ► The Casimir of the Hall MHD system quantizes the Alfvén/Beltrami waves.