A local turbulence model is developed to study energy cascades in the interstellar medium (ISM) based on self-consistent two-dimensional fluid simulations. The model describes a partially ionized magnetofluid interstellar medium (ISM) that couples a neutral hydrogen fluid with a plasma primarily through charge exchange interactions. Charge exchange interactions are ubiquitous in warm ISM plasma and the strength of the interaction depends largely on the relative speed between the plasma and the neutral fluid. Unlike small length-scale linear collisional dissipation in a single fluid, charge exchange processes introduce channels that can be effective on a variety of length-scales that depend on the neutral and plasma densities, temperature, relative velocities, charge exchange cross section and the characteristic length scales. We find, from scaling arguments and nonlinear coupled fluid simulations, that charge exchange interactions modify spectral transfer associated with large scale energy containing eddies. Consequently, the warm ISM turbulent cascade rate prolongs spectral transfer amongst inertial range turbulent modes. Turbulent spectra associated with the neutral and plasma ISM fluids are therefore steeper than those predicted by Kolmogorov's phenomenology.
We have performed three dimensional nonlinear fluid simulations of electron fluid turbulence at nanoscales in an unmagnetized warm dense plasma in which mode coupling between wave function and electrostatic potential associated with underlying electron plasma oscillations (EPOs) lead to nonlinear cascades in inertial range. While the wave function cascades towards smaller length scales, electrostatic potential follows an inverse cascade. We find from our simulations that quantum diffraction effect associated with a Bohm potential plays a critical role in determining the inertial range turbulen…
We develop a two dimensional, self-consistent, compressible fluid model to study evolution of Alfvenic modes in partially ionized astrophysical and space plasmas. The partially ionized plasma consists mainly of electrons, ions and significant neutral atoms. The nonlinear interactions amongst these species take place predominantly through direct collision or charge exchange processes. Our model uniquely describe the interaction processes between two distinctly evolving fluids. In our model, the electrons and ions are described by a single fluid compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model and a…
We present estimates of the turbulent energy cascade rate, derived from a Hall-MHD third-order law. We compute the contribution from the Hall term and the MHD term to the energy flux. We use MMS data accumulated in the magnetosheath and the solar wind, and compare the results with previously established simulation results. We find that in observation, the MHD contribution is dominant at inertial scales, as in the simulations, but the Hall term becomes significant in observations at larger scales than in the simulations. Possible reasons are offered for this unanticipated result.
Nonlinear three dimensional, time dependent, fluid simulations of whistler wave turbulence are performed to investigate role of whistler waves in solar wind plasma turbulence in which characteristic turbulent fluctuations are characterized typically by the frequency and length scales that are respectively bigger than ion gyro frequency and smaller than ion gyro radius. The electron inertial length is an intrinsic length scale in whistler wave turbulence that distinguishably divides the high frequency solar wind turbulent spectra into scales smaller and bigger than the electron inertial length.…
We present a theoretical framework for plasma turbulence in astrophysical plasmas (solar wind, interstellar medium, galaxy clusters, accretion disks). The key assumptions are that the turbulence is anisotropic with respect to the mean magnetic field and frequencies are low compared to the ion cyclotron frequency. The energy injected at the outer scale scale has to be converted into heat, which ultimately cannot be done without collisions. A KINETIC CASCADE develops that brings the energy to collisional scales both in space and velocity. Its nature depends on the physics of plasma fluctuations.…
For degenerate astrophysical electron-positron plasmas we have considered dynamics of electromagnetic beams carrying angular momentum. It is found for arbitrary level of degeneracy such a beam having the power exceeding a certain critical value breaks up into many filaments, eventually leading to the formation of stable spatial solitons keeping zero field in the center of the structure.
How the turbulent energy cascade develops below the magnetohydrodynamic scales in space and astrophysical plasmas is a major open question. Here, we measure the power spectrum of magnetic fluctuations in Parker Solar Probe's observations close to the Sun and in state-of-the-art numerical simulations of plasma turbulence. Both reveal a power-law behavior with a slope compatible with $-11/3$ at scales smaller than the ion characteristic scales, steeper than what is typically observed in the solar wind and in the Earth's magnetosheath. We explain such behavior by developing a simple two-fluid mod…
A new path for the generation of a sub-ion scale cascade in collisionless plasma turbulence, triggered by magnetic reconnection, is uncovered by means of high-resolution two-dimensional hybrid-kinetic simulations employing two complementary approaches, Lagrangian and Eulerian, and different driving mechanisms. The simulation results provide clear numerical evidences that the development of power-law energy spectra below the so-called ion break occurs as soon as the first magnetic reconnection events take place, regardless of the actual state of the turbulent cascade at MHD scales. In both simu…
The first observed connection between kinetic instabilities driven by proton temperature anisotropy and estimated energy cascade rates in the turbulent solar wind is reported using measurements from the Wind spacecraft at 1 AU. We find enhanced cascade rates are concentrated along the boundaries of the ($β_{\parallel}$, $T_{\perp}/T_{\parallel}$)-plane, which includes regions theoretically unstable to the mirror and firehose instabilities. A strong correlation is observed between the estimated cascade rate and kinetic effects such as temperature anisotropy and plasma heating, resulting in prot…
A local turbulence model is developed to study energy cascades in the heliosheath and outer heliosphere (OH) based on self-consistent two-dimensional fluid simulations. The model describes a partially ionized magnetofluid OH that couples a neutral hydrogen fluid with a plasma primarily through charge-exchange interactions. Charge-exchange interactions are ubiquitous in warm heliospheric plasma, and the strength of the interaction depends largely on the relative speed between the plasma and the neutral fluid. Unlike small-length scale linear collisional dissipation in a single fluid, charge-exc…
Strong gradients in plasma flows play a major role in space and astrophysical plasmas. A typical situation is that a static plasma equilibrium is surrounded by a plasma flow, which can lead to strong plasma flow gradients at the separatrices between field lines with different magnetic topologies, e.g., planetary magnetospheres, helmet streamers in the solar corona, or at the boundary between the heliosphere and interstellar medium. Within this work we make a first step to understand the influence of these flows towards the occurrence of current sheets in a stationary state situation. We concen…
A heuristic approach for collisionless perpendicular diffusion of energetic particles is presented. Analytic forms for the corresponding diffusion coefficient are derived. The heuristic approach presented here explains the parameter $a^2$ used in previous theories in order to achieve agreement with simulations and its relation to collisionless Rechester & Rosenbluth diffusion. The obtained results are highly relevant for applications because previously used formulas are altered significantly in certain situations.
Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process in a laboratory, magnetospheric, solar and astrophysical plasma, whereby magnetic energy is converted into heat, bulk kinetic energy and fast particle energy. Its nature in two dimensions is much better understood than in three dimensions (3D), where its character is completely different and has many diverse aspects that are currently being explored. Here we focus on the magnetohydrodynamics of 3D reconnection in the plasma environment of the solar system, especially solar flares. The theory of reconnection at null points, separators and quasi-sep…
Heat flux suppression in collisionless plasmas for a large range of plasma $β$ is explored using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations with a strong, sustained thermal gradient. We find that a transition takes place between whistler-dominated (high-$β$) and double-layer-dominated (low-$β$) heat flux suppression. Whistlers saturate at small amplitude in the low beta limit and are unable to effectively suppress the heat flux. Electrostatic double layers suppress the heat flux to a mostly constant factor of the free streaming value once this transition happens. The double layer physics is …
We discuss the current understanding of the most basic properties of astrophysical MHD turbulence and trace the origins of the modern views and theoretical uncertainties to the ideas set forth in 1950s and 1960s by Iroshnikov, Kraichnan, Batchelor, Schlueter and Biermann. Universal aspects of the theory are emphasised. Two main astrophysical applications are touched upon: turbulence in the solar wind and in clusters of galaxies. These are, in a certain (very approximate) sense, two ``pure'' cases of small-scale turbulence, where theoretical models of the two main regimes of MHD turbulence -- w…
When two plasmas collide, their interaction can be mediated by collisionless plasma instabilities or binary collisions between particles of each shell. By comparing the maximum growth rate of the collisionless instabilities with the collision frequency between particles of the shells, we determine the critical density separating the collisionless formation from the collisional formation of the resulting shock waves. This critical density is also the density beyond which the shock downstream is field free, as plasma instabilities do not have time to develop electromagnetic patterns. We further …
The question of the relative importance of coherent structures and waves has for a long time attracted a great deal of interest in astrophysical plasma turbulence research, with a more recent focus on kinetic scale dynamics. Here we utilize high-resolution observational and simulation data to investigate the nature of waves and structures emerging in a weakly collisional, turbulent kinetic plasma. Observational results are based on in situ solar wind measurements from the Cluster and MMS spacecraft, and the simulation results are obtained from an externally driven, three-dimensional fully kine…
The first estimation of the incompressible energy cascade rate at magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) scales is obtained in the plasma upstream of the Martian bow shock, using MAVEN observations and an exact relation derived for MHD turbulence. The energy cascade rate is computed for events with and without proton cyclotron wave (PCW) activity, for time intervals when MAVEN was in the solar wind with no magnetic connection to the bow shock. It is shown that the nonlinear cascade of energy at the MHD scales is slightly amplified when PCWs are present in the plasma. The analysis of the normalized cross he…
This letter discusses rotating magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) of a thin layer of astrophysical plasma. To describe a thin plasma layer with a free surface in a vertical external magnetic field we use the shallow water ap- proximation. The presence of a vertical magnetic field essentially changed the wave processes dynamics in astrophysical plasma compared to the neu- tral uid and plasma layer in a thoroidal magnetic field. In present case thre are three-waves nonlinear interactions. Using the asymptotic mul- tiscale we deduced nonlinear wave packets interaction equations: three magneto-Poincare wa…
This paper summarises some of the recent progress that has been made in understanding astrophysical plasma turbulence in the solar wind, from in situ spacecraft observations. At large scales, where the turbulence is predominantly Alfvenic, measurements of critical balance, residual energy, and 3D structure are discussed, along with comparison to recent models of strong Alfvenic turbulence. At these scales, a few percent of the energy is also in compressive fluctuations, and their nature, anisotropy, and relation to the Alfvenic component is described. In the small scale kinetic range, below th…
Turbulence is the most common state of astrophysical flows. In typical astrophysical fluids, turbulence is accompanied by strong magnetic fields, which has a large impact on the dynamics of the turbulent cascade. Recently, there has been a significant breakthrough on the theory of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. For the first time we have a scaling model that is supported by both observations and numerical simulations. We review recent progress in studies of both incompressible and compressible turbulence. We compare Iroshnikov-Kraichnan and Goldreich-Sridhar models, and discuss scalings…
