Discontinuities in an anisotropic plasma and their identification in the solar wind

Abstract The types of discontinuity which can occur in a magnetohydrodynamic fluid with anistotropic pressure are discussed. Rules are given for the identification of the type of discontinuity together with equations to determine their orientation and velocity. In general, rotational discontinuities do not conserve density and field strength, and some of these in the solar wind may have been misidentified as shocks or tangential discontinuities.

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