Scaling of anisotropic spectra due to the weak interaction of shear-Alfvén wave packets

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

95 Scopus citations

Abstract

Weak magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in the presence of a uniform magnetic field is dominated by three-wave interactions that mediate the collisions of shear-Alfvén wave packets propagating in opposite directions parallel to the magnetic field. The scaling of three-wave couplings is calculated by asymptotic analysis and a direct numerical evaluation of the nonlinear interaction based on the reduced magnetohydrodynamic equations. A new relation is derived between the spectral index of three-wave coupling and the spectral indices of two random-amplitude wave packets. This relation has significant implications for the anisotropic energy spectrum.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)605-610
Number of pages6
JournalPhysics of Plasmas
Volume4
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1997
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Condensed Matter Physics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Scaling of anisotropic spectra due to the weak interaction of shear-Alfvén wave packets'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this