Nonlinear propagation of electromagnetic ion-cyclotron Alfvén waves

Abstract
The nonlinear interaction of an electron‐ion plasma with an electromagnetic ion‐cyclotron Alfvén wave propagating along an external magnetic field is considered. It is found that the radiation pressure of the electromagnetic wave can excite field‐aligned electrostatic density perturbations. Localized wave packets are shown to exist. The relevance of our investigation to laboratory and astrophysical plasmas is discussed.