Turbulence in Magnetized Pair Plasmas
Name
Loureiro_2018_ApJL_866_L14.pdf
Description
Published version
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261.46 KB
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Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Gomes Loureiro, Nuno F
Boldyrev, Stanislav
Date Issued
October 2018
Journal
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Citation
Loureiro, Nuno F., and Stanislav Boldyrev, "Turbulence in Magnetized Pair Plasmas." Astrophysical Journal Letters 866, 1 (2018): letter 14 doi 10.3847/2041-8213/aae483 ©2018 Author(s)
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Alfvénic-type turbulence in strongly magnetized, low-beta pair plasmas is investigated. A coupled set of equations for the evolution of the magnetic and flow potentials are derived, covering both fluid and kinetic scales. In the fluid (magnetohydrodynamic) range those equations are the same as for electron–ion plasmas, so turbulence at those scales is expected to be of the Alfvénic nature, exhibiting critical balance, dynamic alignment, and transition to a tearing-mediated regime at small scales. The critical scale at which a transition to a tearing-mediated range occurs is derived, and the spectral slope in that range is predicted to be k-⁸/³ (or k-³, depending on details of the reconnecting configuration assumed). At scales below the electron (and positron) skin depth, it is argued that turbulence is dictated by a cascade of the inertial Alfvén wave, which we show to result in the magnetic energy spectrum [subscript]∞k-¹¹/³. ©2018 Keywords:
magnetic fields; magnetic reconnection; plasmas; turbulence
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/AAE483
