Astrophysical turbulence modeling

TL;DR

This paper reviews the role of turbulence in astrophysical environments, emphasizing magnetic fields, extreme conditions, and the impact on transport processes, highlighting differences from terrestrial turbulence.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of astrophysical turbulence, focusing on magnetic effects, stratification, and the unique transport phenomena in cosmic settings.

Findings

Magnetic fields are ubiquitous and maintained by dynamo action.

Turbulence significantly enhances transport of mass, momentum, energy, and magnetic fields.

Anisotropies and new effects modify turbulence-driven transport in astrophysical contexts.

Abstract

The role of turbulence in various astrophysical settings is reviewed. Among the differences to laboratory and atmospheric turbulence we highlight the ubiquitous presence of magnetic fields that are generally produced and maintained by dynamo action. The extreme temperature and density contrasts and stratifications are emphasized in connection with turbulence in the interstellar medium and in stars with outer convection zones, respectively. In many cases turbulence plays an essential role in facilitating enhanced transport of mass, momentum, energy, and magnetic fields in terms of the corresponding coarse-grained mean fields. Those transport properties are usually strongly modified by anisotropies and often completely new effects emerge in such a description that have no correspondence in terms of the original (non coarse-grained) fields.