A prescription for the turbulent heating of astrophysical plasmas

Gregory G. Howes

doi:10.1111/j.1745-3933.2010.00958.x

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arXiv · 1009.4212

A prescription for the turbulent heating of astrophysical plasmas

Gregory G. Howes

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Abstract

The ratio of ion to electron heating due to the dissipation of Alfvenic turbulence in astrophysical plasmas is calculated based on a cascade model for turbulence in weakly collisional plasmas. Conditions for validity of this model are discussed, a prescription for the turbulent heating is presented, and it is applied to predict turbulent heating in accretion disks and the interstellar medium.

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Gregory G. Howes. 2010-09-21. A prescription for the turbulent heating of astrophysical plasmas. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3933.2010.00958.x

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