Inverse and direct energy cascades in 3D MHD turbulence at low-Rm

TL;DR

This study experimentally investigates how the dimensionality of low-Rm MHD turbulence influences energy transfer directions, revealing that inverse and direct cascades coexist across scales regardless of the local structure's dimensionality.

Contribution

It demonstrates that energy cascade directions in low-Rm MHD turbulence are not solely determined by local dimensionality, challenging previous assumptions and highlighting the role of forcing and dissipation mechanisms.

Findings

Inverse energy cascade observed at large scales

Direct energy cascade confined to small, 3D scales

Cascade behavior depends on forcing and dissipation, not just scale or structure

Abstract

This experimental study analyzes the relationship between the dimensionality of turbulence and the upscale or downscale nature of its energy transfers. We do so by forcing low-$Rm$ magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in a confined channel, while precisely controlling its dimensionality by means of an externally applied magnetic field. We first identify a specific lengthscale $\hat{l}_\perp^c$ that separates smaller three-dimensional structures from larger quasi-two-dimensional ones. We then show that an inverse energy cascade of horizontal kinetic energy along horizontal scales is always observable at large scales, but that it extends well into the region of 3D structures. At the same time, a direct energy cascade confined to the smallest and strongly 3D scales is observed. These dynamics therefore appear not to be simply determined by the dimensionality of individual scales, nor by the forcing scale, unlike in other studies. In fact, our findings suggest that the relationship between kinematics and dynamics is not universal and may strongly depend on the forcing and dissipating mechanisms at play.