  Transverse oscillations and propagating waves are frequently observed in
threads of solar prominences/filaments and have been interpreted as kink
magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes. We investigate the spatial damping of
propagating kink MHD waves in transversely nonuniform and partially ionized
prominence threads. Resonant absorption and ion-neutral collisions (Cowling's
diffusion) are the damping mechanisms taken into account. The dispersion
relation of resonant kink waves in a partially ionized magnetic flux tube is
numerically solved by considering prominence conditions. Analytical expressions
of the wavelength and damping length as functions of the kink mode frequency
are obtained in the Thin Tube and Thin Boundary approximations. For typically
reported periods of thread oscillations, resonant absorption is an efficient
mechanism for the kink mode spatial damping, while ion-neutral collisions have
a minor role. Cowling's diffusion dominates both the propagation and damping
for periods much shorter than those observed. Resonant absorption may explain
the observed spatial damping of kink waves in prominence threads. The
transverse inhomogeneity length scale of the threads can be estimated by
comparing the observed wavelengths and damping lengths with the theoretically
predicted values. However, the ignorance of the form of the density profile in
the transversely nonuniform layer introduces inaccuracies in the determination
of the inhomogeneity length scale.

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics