An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A → magnetohydrodynamic wave in a → magnetized plasma, arising as a result of restoring forces associated with the magnetic field. It is a → transverse wave
which propagates in the direction of the magnetic field. Also called magnetohydrodynamic wave.

See also: Named after Hannes Alfvén (1908-1995), Swedish physicist,
who developed the theory of → magnetohydrodynamics, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1970; → wave.