  In recent years, coronal loops have been the focus of studies related to the
damping of different magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) surface waves and their
connection with coronal seismology and wave heating. For a better understanding
of wave heating, we need to take into account the effects of different
dissipation coefficients such as resistivity and viscosity, the importance of
the loop physical characteristics, and the ways gravity can factor into the
evolution of these phenomena. We aim to map the sites of energy dissipation
from transverse waves in coronal loops in the presence and absence of
gravitational stratification and to compare ideal, resistive, and viscous MHD.
Using the PLUTO code, we performed 3D MHD simulations of kink waves in single,
straight, density-enhanced coronal flux tubes of multiple temperatures. We see
the creation of spatially expanded Kelvin-Helmholtz eddies along the loop,
which deform the initial monolithic loop profile. For the case of driven
oscillations, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability develops despite physical
dissipation, unless very high values of shear viscosity are used. Energy
dissipation gets its highest values near the apex, but is present all along the
loop. We observe an increased efficiency of wave heating once the kinetic
energy saturates at the later stages of the simulation and a turbulent density
profile has developed. The inclusion of gravity greatly alters the dynamic
evolution of our systems and should not be ignored in future studies. Stronger
physical dissipation leads to stronger wave heating in our set-ups. Finally,
once the kinetic energy of the oscillating loop starts saturating, all the
excess input energy turns into internal energy, resulting in more efficient
wave heating.
