 High-pressure limit of magnetosonic waves

For sound speed $v_s$ much larger than Alfvén speed $v_a$, and angle $\theta$ between the wavevector and magnetic field, the fast magnetosonic wave has $v_f^2=v_s^2+v_a^2{\sin }^2\theta +O(v_a^4/v_s^2)$. The slow magnetosonic wave has $v_{\mathrm{slow}}^2=v_a^2{\cos }^2\theta [1-(v_a^2/v_s^2){\sin }^2\theta +O(v_a^4/v_s^4)]$. The fast mode is predominantly longitudinal sound. The slow mode becomes almost incompressible, polarized in the plane of the wavevector and magnetic field; the Alfvén wave is polarized perpendicular to that plane. The latter two are predominantly magnetic-tension waves with equal leading phase speeds.