Dynamic Phase Alignment in Inertial Alfvén Turbulence
Abstract
In weakly collisional plasma environments with sufficiently low electron beta, Alfvénic turbulence transforms into inertial Alfvénic turbulence at scales below the electron skin depth, k⊥de ≳ 1. We argue that, in inertial Alfvénic turbulence, both energy and generalized kinetic helicity exhibit direct cascades. We demonstrate that the two cascades are compatible due to the existence of a strong scale dependence of the phase alignment angle between velocity and magnetic field fluctuations, with the phase alignment angle scaling as cos αk ∝ $$k$$$^{–1}_{⊥}$$. The kinetic and magnetic energy spectra scale as ∝ $$k$$$^{–5/3}_{⊥}$$ and ∝ $$k$$$^{–11/3}_{⊥}$$, respectively. As a result of the dual direct cascade, the generalized helicity spectrum scales as ∝ $$k$$$^{–5/3}_{⊥}$$, implying progressive balancing of the turbulence as the cascade proceeds to smaller scales in the k⊥de >> 1 range. Turbulent eddies exhibit a phase-space anisotropy k∥ ∝ $$k$$$^{5/3}_{⊥}$$, consistent with critically balanced inertial Alfvén fluctuations. Furthermore, our results may be applicable to a variety of geophysical, space, and astrophysical environments, including the Earth’s magnetosheath and ionosphere, solar corona, and nonrelativistic pair plasmas, as well as to strongly rotating nonionized fluids.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1];
[2];
[3]
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); ETH Zurich (Switzerland)
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Univ. of California, Oakland, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1850023
- Grant/Contract Number:
- FG02-91ER54109; SC0018266; AC02-05CH11231
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 125; Journal Issue: 26; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; Physics; Alfvén waves; Nonlinear phenomena in plasmas; Plasma turbulence; Turbulence; Earth's magnetosphere; Magnetized plasma; Solar plasma
Citation Formats
Milanese, Lucio M., Loureiro, Nuno F., Daschner, Maximilian, and Boldyrev, Stanislav. Dynamic Phase Alignment in Inertial Alfvén Turbulence. United States: N. p., 2020.
Web. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.125.265101.
Milanese, Lucio M., Loureiro, Nuno F., Daschner, Maximilian, & Boldyrev, Stanislav. Dynamic Phase Alignment in Inertial Alfvén Turbulence. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.125.265101
Milanese, Lucio M., Loureiro, Nuno F., Daschner, Maximilian, and Boldyrev, Stanislav. Mon .
"Dynamic Phase Alignment in Inertial Alfvén Turbulence". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.125.265101. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1850023.
@article{osti_1850023,
title = {Dynamic Phase Alignment in Inertial Alfvén Turbulence},
author = {Milanese, Lucio M. and Loureiro, Nuno F. and Daschner, Maximilian and Boldyrev, Stanislav},
abstractNote = {In weakly collisional plasma environments with sufficiently low electron beta, Alfvénic turbulence transforms into inertial Alfvénic turbulence at scales below the electron skin depth, k⊥de ≳ 1. We argue that, in inertial Alfvénic turbulence, both energy and generalized kinetic helicity exhibit direct cascades. We demonstrate that the two cascades are compatible due to the existence of a strong scale dependence of the phase alignment angle between velocity and magnetic field fluctuations, with the phase alignment angle scaling as cos αk ∝ $k$$^{–1}_{⊥}$. The kinetic and magnetic energy spectra scale as ∝ $k$$^{–5/3}_{⊥}$ and ∝ $k$$^{–11/3}_{⊥}$, respectively. As a result of the dual direct cascade, the generalized helicity spectrum scales as ∝ $k$$^{–5/3}_{⊥}$, implying progressive balancing of the turbulence as the cascade proceeds to smaller scales in the k⊥de >> 1 range. Turbulent eddies exhibit a phase-space anisotropy k∥ ∝ $k$$^{5/3}_{⊥}$, consistent with critically balanced inertial Alfvén fluctuations. Furthermore, our results may be applicable to a variety of geophysical, space, and astrophysical environments, including the Earth’s magnetosheath and ionosphere, solar corona, and nonrelativistic pair plasmas, as well as to strongly rotating nonionized fluids.},
doi = {10.1103/physrevlett.125.265101},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = 26,
volume = 125,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Dec 21 00:00:00 EST 2020},
month = {Mon Dec 21 00:00:00 EST 2020}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
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