Emergence of magnetic structure in supersonic isothermal magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Teissier, Jean-Mathieu, Müller, Wolf-Christian
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2023
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author Teissier, Jean-Mathieu
Müller, Wolf-Christian
author_facet Teissier, Jean-Mathieu
Müller, Wolf-Christian
contents The inverse transfer of magnetic helicity is a fundamental process which may explain large scale magnetic structure formation and sustainement. Until very recently, direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the inverse transfer in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) turbulence have been done in incompressible MHD or at low Mach numbers only. We review first results obtained through DNS of the isothermal MHD equations at Mach numbers ranging from subsonic to about 10. The spectral exponent of the magnetic helicity spectrum becomes flatter with increasing compressibility. When considering the Alfvén velocity in place of the magnetic field however, results found in incompressible MHD, including a dynamic balance between shear and twist, can be extended to supersonic MHD. In the global picture of an inverse transfer of magnetic helicity, three phenomena are at work: a local direct transfer mediated by the large scale velocity field, a local inverse transfer mediated by the intermediate scale velocity field and a nonlocal inverse transfer mediated by the small scale velocity field. The compressive part of the velocity field is geometrically favored in the local direct transfer and contributes to the nonlocal inverse transfer, but plays no role in the local inverse transfer.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2311_06803
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Emergence of magnetic structure in supersonic isothermal magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
Teissier, Jean-Mathieu
Müller, Wolf-Christian
Plasma Physics
Fluid Dynamics
Space Physics
The inverse transfer of magnetic helicity is a fundamental process which may explain large scale magnetic structure formation and sustainement. Until very recently, direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the inverse transfer in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) turbulence have been done in incompressible MHD or at low Mach numbers only. We review first results obtained through DNS of the isothermal MHD equations at Mach numbers ranging from subsonic to about 10. The spectral exponent of the magnetic helicity spectrum becomes flatter with increasing compressibility. When considering the Alfvén velocity in place of the magnetic field however, results found in incompressible MHD, including a dynamic balance between shear and twist, can be extended to supersonic MHD. In the global picture of an inverse transfer of magnetic helicity, three phenomena are at work: a local direct transfer mediated by the large scale velocity field, a local inverse transfer mediated by the intermediate scale velocity field and a nonlocal inverse transfer mediated by the small scale velocity field. The compressive part of the velocity field is geometrically favored in the local direct transfer and contributes to the nonlocal inverse transfer, but plays no role in the local inverse transfer.
title Emergence of magnetic structure in supersonic isothermal magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
topic Plasma Physics
Fluid Dynamics
Space Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.06803