Kinetic magnetohydrodynamics (KMHD)

A magnetized long-wavelength plasma description with a common leading perpendicular flow, magnetic flux freezing and a gyrotropic pressure tensor. The kinetic magnetohydrodynamic momentum equation couples to a drift-kinetic equation for each species; parallel plasma pressure and perpendicular plasma pressure are calculated as velocity moments, rather than prescribed by an isotropic adiabatic closure. Relative species drifts enter at higher order in the ratio of gyroradius to macroscopic length.

A low-frequency, strongly oblique plasma perturbation in which perpendicular magnetic pressure equilibrates rapidly compared with the retained dynamics. In Gaussian units, its leading total transverse pressure perturbation vanishes as shown. Thus $\delta B/B_0=-(\beta /2)\delta p_{\perp }/p_0$, where $\beta$ is plasma beta. A small fractional magnetic field perturbation can still exert a leading force.

In Gaussian units, the equation in the title uses the gyrotropic pressure tensor $\mathbf{P}=p_{\perp }\mathbf{I}+(p_{\parallel }-p_{\perp })\mathbf{bb}$. This allows pressure anisotropy. Its magnetic force contains both magnetic pressure and magnetic tension.