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arXiv · 1609.07173

MHD-kinetic transition in imbalanced Alfv\'enic turbulence

Yuriy Voitenko·Johan De Keyser
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Abstract

Alfv\'enic turbulence in space is usually imbalanced: amplitudes of waves propagating parallel and anti-parallel to the mean magnetic field $B_0$ are unequal. It is commonly accepted that the turbulence is driven by (counter-)collisions between these counter-propagating wave fractions. Contrary to this, we found a new ion-scale dynamical range of the turbulence established by (co-)collisions among waves co-propagating in the same direction along $B_0$. Co-collisions become stronger than counter-collisions and produce steep non-universal spectra above certain wavenumbers dependent on the imbalance. Spectral indexes of the strong turbulence vary around -3, such that steeper spectra follow larger imbalances. Intermittency steepens the -3 spectra further, up to -3.7. Our theoretical predictions are compatible with steep variable spectra observed in the solar wind at ion kinetic scales, but further verifications are needed by correlating observed spectra with measured imbalances.

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Yuriy Voitenko, Johan De Keyser. 2016-09-22. MHD-kinetic transition in imbalanced Alfv\'enic turbulence. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8205/832/2/l20

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