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arXiv · 2302.00634

Relaxation of the turbulent magnetosheath

Francesco Pecora·Yan Yang·Alexandros Chasapis·Sergio Servidio·Manuel Cuesta·Sohom Roy·Rohit Chhiber·Riddhi Bandyopadhyay·D. J. Gershman·B. L. Giles·J. L. Burch·William H. Matthaeus
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Abstract

In turbulence, nonlinear terms drive energy transfer from large-scale eddies into small scales through the so-called energy cascade. Turbulence often relaxes toward states that minimize energy; typically these states are considered globally. However, turbulence can also relax toward local quasi-equilibrium states, creating patches or cells where the magnitude of nonlinearity is reduced and energy cascade is impaired. We show, for the first time, compelling observational evidence that this ``cellularization'' of turbulence can occur due to local relaxation in a strongly turbulent natural environment such as the Earth's magnetosheath.

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Francesco Pecora, Yan Yang, Alexandros Chasapis, Sergio Servidio, Manuel Cuesta, Sohom Roy, Rohit Chhiber, Riddhi Bandyopadhyay, D. J. Gershman, B. L. Giles, J. L. Burch, William H. Matthaeus. 2023-02-01. Relaxation of the turbulent magnetosheath. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad2232

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