On the Kelvin-Helmholtz Instabilities of High-Velocity Magnetized Shear Layers

The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of a finite-width, ideal magnetohydrodynamic shear layer with a 'linear' velocity profile in the transition region is considered. The magnetic field is assumed constant and parallel to the direction (z) of the streaming. The density and temperature of the plasma are also assumed constant. Two distinct regimes of instability are found to exist in the (K, M-sub-s)-plane: unstable standing waves which have omega-sub-r = 0, and unstable traveling waves which have omega-sub-r not equal to zero and which are a consequence of the finite width of the shear layer.