Dissipation of Magnetohydrodynamic Waves in an Inhomogeneous Streaming Plasma

The investigation of instabilities adopting the point of view of inhomogeneous mass flow, physically corresponds to consideration of stability of the perturbations whose wavelengths in the direction of plasma inhomogeneities are much larger than the characteristic plasma scale length. The dissipation of hydromagnetic-waves and instabilities takes place due to the inhomogeneous plasma flow. Both the velocity and plasma density vary in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field. It is found that the Alfvén wave branch and magnetosonic branch may be driven unstable by the velocity shear. Instability, oscillatory modes, marginal instability and overstability are worked out.