 Reduced magnetohydrodynamics

Reduced magnetohydrodynamics is the leading ideal-fluid description of small, anisotropic fluctuations about a strong uniform guide field, with $k_{\parallel }/k_{\perp }\sim \delta B_{\perp }/B_0\sim \delta u_{\perp }/v_A\ll 1$. Its solenoidal perpendicular Elsässer variables obeyThe parallel magnetic derivative includes bending of field lines: ${\nabla }_{\parallel }={\partial }_z+(\delta {\mathbf{B}}_{\perp }/B_0)\cdot {\nabla }_{\perp }$. Slow compressive and entropy mode fluctuations are passively transported at this order. The system excludes the rapidly propagating fast magnetosonic wave sector rather than describing all possible MHD perturbations.