Turbulence evolution in MHD plasmas

TL;DR

This paper investigates how different types of driving forces affect the evolution and characteristics of turbulence spectra in magnetohydrodynamic plasmas relevant to the interstellar medium, using numerical simulations.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the impact of compressible and incompressible driving on turbulence anisotropy and spectral ratios in MHD plasma simulations.

Findings

Driving influences the ratio of compressible to incompressible turbulence components.

Driving affects the anisotropy of turbulence spectra.

Numerical simulations reveal the role of different forcing mechanisms.

Abstract

Turbulence in the interstellar medium has been an active field of research in the last decade. Numerical simulations are the tool of choice in most cases. But while there are a number of simulations on the market some questions have not been answered finally. In this paper we are going to examine the influence of compressible and incompressible driving on the evolution of turbulent spectra in a number of possible interstellar medium scenarios. We conclude that the driving not only has an influence on the ratio of compressible to incompressible component but also on the anisotropy of turbulence.