Energy transfer of imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence in the heliosphere

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: Imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence is a universal process playing a crucial role in energy transfer in space, astrophysical, and laboratory plasmas. A fundamental and long-lasting question about the imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence is how and through which mechanism the energy transfers between scales. Here, we show that the energy transfer of imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence is completed by coherent interactions between Alfvén waves and co-propagating anomalous fluctuations. These anomalous fluctuations are generated by nonlinear couplings instead of linear reflection. We also reveal that the energy transfer of the waves and the anomalous fluctuations is carried out mainly through local-scale and large-scale nonlinear interactions, respectively, responsible for their bifurcated power-law spectra. This work unveils the energy transfer physics of imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence, and advances the understanding of imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence observed by Parker Solar Probe in the inner heliosphere.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43273-4

Authors: Liping Yang, Jiansen He, Daniel Verscharen, Hui Li, Trevor A. Bowen, Stuart D. Bale, Honghong Wu, Wenya Li, Ying Wang, Lei Zhang, Xueshang Feng, Ziqi Wu

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Space Science Center, State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, Peking University, University College London, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Wuhan University

Language: English

Topic: Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $6,290

Funders: Johns Hopkins University, Leverhulme Trust, Research Councils UK, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Science and Technology Facilities Council

OpenAlex ID: W4389265936