American Institute of Physics, Physics of Plasmas, 12(16), p. 122309
DOI: 10.1063/1.3271409
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Solitary kinetic Alfvén waves (SKAWs) have been an important subject in the field of space plasma physics because of their nonzero parallel electrical field and density fluctuations. Under different thermodynamic processes, SKAWs, within the limit of small amplitude, are studied analytically and numerically using the Sagdeev potential method. The results show that the width of the solitary structures is larger and the amplitude of the density humps is smaller under constant entropy than those under constant temperature with other relevant parameters being the same. The perturbed electromagnetic fields Ex, By, and Ez are also studied further.