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Small-Scale Structures in Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic and Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence pp 273–279Cite as

Anisotropy in incompressible and compressible 3D MHD turbulence

  • Part V Structures in MHD Flows
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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Physics ((LNP,volume 462))

Abstract

Using direct numerical simulation results we discuss how the presence of a dc magnetic field (B0) in initially isotropic turbulent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows leads to anisotropy in the small-scale velocity and magnetic fields. In such cases, the small-scale vorticity and current structures tend to elongate and align with B0.

The incompressible behaviour is also compared to weakly compressible results (sonic Mach number <0.5). The simulations indicate that while density and longitudinal pressure fluctuations remain isotropic for the compressible systems, the v and b fluctuations behave quite similarly to their incompressible counterparts, exhibiting substantial anisotropies even at the modest Reynolds numbers employed here.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics, University College London, WC1E 6BT, London, Gower Street, England

    Sean Oughton

  2. Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware, DE 19716, Newark, USA

    William H. Matthaeus

  3. USRA, Goddard Space Flight Center, MD 20771, Greenbelt, USA

    Sanjoy Ghosh

Authors
  1. Sean Oughton
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  2. William H. Matthaeus
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  3. Sanjoy Ghosh
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Editor information

Maurice Meneguzzi Annick Pouquet Pierre-Louis Sulem

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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Oughton, S., Matthaeus, W.H., Ghosh, S. (1995). Anisotropy in incompressible and compressible 3D MHD turbulence. In: Meneguzzi, M., Pouquet, A., Sulem, PL. (eds) Small-Scale Structures in Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic and Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 462. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0102424

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0102424

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-60486-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47675-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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