Toward Astrophysical Turbulence in the Laboratory

Featured in Physics
Editors' Suggestion

Toward Astrophysical Turbulence in the Laboratory

G. G. Howes, D. J. Drake, K. D. Nielson, T. A. Carter, C. A. Kletzing, and F. Skiff

Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 255001 – Published 17 December 2012

See Viewpoint: Turbulent Plasma in the Lab

Abstract

Turbulence is a ubiquitous phenomenon in space and astrophysical plasmas, driving a cascade of energy from large to small scales and strongly influencing the plasma heating resulting from the dissipation of the turbulence. Modern theories of plasma turbulence are based on the fundamental concept that the turbulent cascade of energy is caused by the nonlinear interaction between counterpropagating Alfvén waves, yet this interaction has never been observationally or experimentally verified. We present here the first experimental measurement in a laboratory plasma of the nonlinear interaction between counterpropagating Alfvén waves, the fundamental building block of astrophysical plasma turbulence. This measurement establishes a firm basis for the application of theoretical ideas developed in idealized models to turbulence in realistic space and astrophysical plasma systems.

Received 20 July 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.255001

Viewpoint

Turbulent Plasma in the Lab

Published 17 December 2012

Confirmation that interacting magnetic plasma waves can generate “daughter” waves of a higher frequency supports the current picture of how turbulence leads to heat in astrophysical plasma.

See more in Physics

Authors & Affiliations

G. G. Howes¹, D. J. Drake^1,2, K. D. Nielson¹, T. A. Carter³, C. A. Kletzing¹, and F. Skiff¹

¹Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
²Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia 31698, USA
³Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1547, USA