Magnetic-pressure obstruction to a linearly polarized Alfvén wave

A finite sinusoidal transverse field $B_x=a{B}_0\cos [k(z-v_{a}t)]$, $B_y=0$, has varying magnetic pressure. In a purely transverse traveling Alfvén wave, longitudinal momentum requires ${\partial }_z[p+B_x^2/(2{\mu }_0)]=0$, but the adiabatic pressure equation with $u_z=0$ requires ${\partial }_{t}p=0$. A traveling compensating gas pressure cannot satisfy both conditions. The uncompensated force is quadratic in amplitude and drives a compressive response. A regular periodic one-dimensional traveling solution cannot evade this by varying mass density: its mass, transverse momentum and induction integrals force constant mass density at the zeros of the transverse field and hence throughout the nontrivial wave.