An analytical method for the investigation of instability of a collisionless plasma in strong magnetic fields

An analytical method for the investigation of special types of dispersion relations is presented. In particular, analysis of the propagation of small-amplitude hydromagnetic waves in a collisionless plasma in a strong magnetic field leads to such dispersion relations. The fifth-degree dispersion relation corresponding to a particular case is considered. The necessary stability condition for a steady state and conditions for the degeneration of small-amplitude waves are derived. A comparison with other methods for the analysis of similar dispersion relations is also presented. (author)