Past exam of the advanced fluid dynamics course of the University of Oxford / 2023 / 1 / b / Solution

Subtract the constant equilibrium magnetic energy density. Since ${\mathbf{B}}_0\cdot \mathbf{b}=0$, the perturbation densities areThe traveling-wave amplitude relation from part a givesThis is pointwise Alfvén wave energy transport for one traveling wave, not a claim that every superposition or standing wave has pointwise equipartition.

For the real fields written as $\mathbf{v}=\mathrm{Re}(\hat{\mathbf{v}}{e}^{i(kz-\omega t)})$ and similarly for $\mathbf{b}$, the period averages areThe factors one half distinguish a sinusoid's peak amplitude from its mean squared value; the same complex-vector convention also covers circular polarization of waves.