An application of the turbulent magnetohydrodynamic residual-energy equation model to the solar wind
Author(s) -
Nobumitsu Yokoi,
Fujihiro Hamba
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
physics of plasmas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1089-7674
pISSN - 1070-664X
DOI - 10.1063/1.2792337
Subject(s) - physics , magnetohydrodynamics , turbulence , magnetohydrodynamic turbulence , heliosphere , solar wind , k omega turbulence model , turbulence kinetic energy , k epsilon turbulence model , magnetohydrodynamic drive , mechanics , magnetic energy , astrophysics , computational physics , classical mechanics , magnetic field , magnetization , quantum mechanics
A magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence model incorporating the turbulent MHD residual energy (difference between the kinetic and magnetic energies) is applied to solar-wind turbulence. In the model, the dynamics of the turbulent cross-helicity (cross-correlation between the velocity and magnetic field) and the turbulent MHD residual energy, which are considered to describe the degree of Alfvenicity of the MHD turbulence, are solved simultaneously with the dynamics of the turbulent MHD energy and its dissipation rate. The transition of solar-wind turbulence from the Alfven-wave-like fluctuations near the Sun in the inner heliosphere to the fully developed MHD turbulence in the outer heliosphere is discussed. Magnetic dominance in the solar-wind fluctuations is addressed from the dynamics of the evolution equation of the residual energy. An interpretation of the observed Alfven ratio (ratio of the kinetic to magnetic energies) of ∼0.5 is proposed from the viewpoint of a stationary solution of the turbulence...
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