Turbulence and order in magnetized flowing plasmas

TL;DR

This paper discusses the importance of diverse computational models for understanding turbulence and order in magnetized astrophysical plasmas, emphasizing multi-scale dynamics and the interplay of turbulent and ordered phenomena.

Contribution

It highlights the need for a hierarchy of physics models and diverse computational approaches to study complex, multi-scale magnetized plasma systems.

Findings

Examples of turbulent small-scale and large-scale dynamos

Turbulent versus ordered zonal flows in astrophysical plasmas

Call for integrated modeling approaches

Abstract

This whitepaper was submitted to the 2019-2020 APS-DPP-CPP (American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics Community Planning Process) on plasma discovery science. It highlights the need for diverse computational approaches including global and local models, as well as the need for a hierarchy of physics models in complex and multi-scale magnetically and flow-dominated astrophysical systems. Examples of turbulent small-scale vs. large-scale dynamos and turbulent vs. ordered zonal flows in such systems are discussed.