On waves in gases. Part II: Interaction of sound with magnetic and internal modes

This work completes a two-part review on waves in gases, of which the first part [Rev. Mod. Phys. 58, 117 (1986)] dealt with the modern aspects of acoustics of jets, turbulence, and ducts; this second part extends the range of topics from sound to magnetic, internal, and (to a lesser extent) inertial waves, thus considering all four restoring forces (pressure, gravity, and Lorentz and Coriolis forces). The motivations for the study of these waves were outlined in the introduction to Part I. Part II reviews the coupling of acoustic, magnetic, and internal waves, in four stages: in Sec. I dispersion relations are used to study the propagation and radiation of magneto-acoustic-gravity-inertial waves in media for which the wave speeds and scattering scales are constant; in Sec. II the case of linear waves in stratified media, with nonuniform propagation velocity, is then discussed by means of special functions, appearing as exact solutions of second-order problems; in Sec. III the study of linear waves with variable propagation speeds is extended to certain classes of higher-order problems including a discussion of cutoff frequencies, critical levels, partition of energy, mode coupling and conversion, etc; in Sec. IV the preceding studies are extended to damped and nonlinear waves, to include dissipation with variable damping scales and large disturbances in media under nonuniform external forces, such as magnetic flux tubes. The conclusion (Sec. V) sums up both parts of the review, in the sense that it deals with all types of waves in fluids; it mentions a few currently controversial topics, points out some directions for future research, and indicates methods available to address these issues.