Electron magnetohydrodynamics (${\partial }_t\mathbf{B}=\nabla \times ({\mathbf{u}}_e\times \mathbf{B})$)

Electron magnetohydrodynamics neglects ion motion and electron inertia while retaining transport of the magnetic field by the electron current. At constant electron number density, ${\mathbf{u}}_e=-\mathbf{J}/(en)=-c\nabla \times \mathbf{B}/(4\pi en)$. Flux freezing in this velocity givesFor a uniform guide field, the solenoidal linear equation implies ${\omega }^2=(c{B}_0/4\pi en{)}^2{k}_{\parallel }^2{k}^2$. With $v_A=B_0/\sqrt{4\pi n{m}_i}$ and $d_i=c\sqrt{m_i/(4\pi e^{2}n)}$, the coefficient is $c{B}_0/(4\pi en)=v_A{d}_i$.

In the inertia-free, constant-density electron magnetohydrodynamics model with uniform guide field $B_0\hat{\mathbf{z}}$, a transverse magnetic plane wave obeys $\omega \mathbf{b}=i{v}_A{d}_i{k}_{\parallel }\mathbf{k}\times \mathbf{b}$. The helicity decomposition of a transverse Fourier mode gives the displayed dispersive branches with opposite circular polarizations. This electron-current mode is called a whistler wave; see Lyutikov's analysis of electron magnetohydrodynamics. Its pressure-free induction equation should not be identified with a general kinetic Alfvén model.

With $k_{\parallel }/k_{\perp }\sim \delta B/B_0\ll 1$, define $b=\delta B_{\parallel }/B_0$ and $\delta {\mathbf{B}}_{\perp }/B_0=\hat{\mathbf{z}}\times {\nabla }_{\perp }\Psi /v_A$ to leading order. Let ${\nabla }_{\parallel }={\partial }_z+\{\Psi ,\cdot \}/v_A$, where $\{f,g\}=f_x{g}_y-f_y{g}_x$. The leading electron velocities are ${\mathbf{u}}_{e\perp }=v_A{d}_i\hat{\mathbf{z}}\times {\nabla }_{\perp }b$ and $u_{e\parallel }=-d_i{\nabla }_{\perp }^2\Psi$. Substitution into frozen-in induction yieldsLinearization gives ${\omega }^2=v_A^2{d}_i^2{k}_{\parallel }^2{k}_{\perp }^2$, agreeing with the full EMHD relation to leading anisotropic order. If $b$ varies along the guide field, an order-smaller perpendicular gradient correction restores exact solenoidality; the two-field representation is not an exact decomposition at arbitrary anisotropy.