Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 March 2009
We investigate second-harmonic resonance for weakly nonlinear hydromagnetic waves travelling in a cold collisionless plasma by the method of multiple scales. We find that the second-harmonic resonance can occur between the magneto-acoustic modes; but it can occur neither between the magneto-acoustic and the Alfvé n modes, nor between the Alfvé n modes. The resonant frequency of the magneto-acoustic modes is characterized by the geometric mean of the ion and electron Larmor frequencies. We obtain steady-state solutions to the dynamical equations governing the second-harmonic resonance. The result of analysis shows that the envelopes of the two resonant waves are composed of two periodic wave- trains, two solitary pulses or a solitary pulse and a phase jump. We also extend the problem to more general dispersive wave systems.