PAINLEVE ANALYSIS AND NONLINEAR PERIODIC-SOLUTIONS FOR ISOTHERMAL MAGNETOSTATIC ATMOSPHERES

The equations of magnetohydrodynamic equilibria for a plasma in a grav itational field are investigated analytically. For equilibria with one ignorable spatial coordinate, the equations reduce to a single nonlin ear elliptic equation for the magnetic potential psi, known as the Gra d-Shafranov equation. Specifying the arbitrary functions in the latter equation, one gets a nonlinear elliptic equation. Analytical solution s of the elliptic equation are obtained for the case of a nonlinear is othermal atmosphere in a uniform gravitational field. The solutions ar e obtained by using the Painleve analysis, and are adequate for descri bing parallel filaments of diffuse, magnetized plasma suspended horizo ntally in equilibrium in a uniform gravitational field.