Tearing Instability in Alfvén and Kinetic‐Alfvén Turbulence

Recently, it has been realized that magnetic plasma turbulence and magnetic field reconnection are inherently related phenomena. Turbulent fluctuations generate regions of sheared magnetic field that become unstable to the tearing instability and reconnection, thus modifying turbulence at the corres...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geophysical research. Space physics 2020-09, Vol.125 (9), p.n/a
Main Authors: Boldyrev, Stanislav, Loureiro, Nuno F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrophysics
Fluid flow
Magnetic field reconnection
Magnetic fields
magnetic reconnection
Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
Magnetohydrodynamics
MHD turbulence
Plasma turbulence
Plasmas (physics)
Qualitative analysis
Tearing
Turbulent fluctuations
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Summary:Recently, it has been realized that magnetic plasma turbulence and magnetic field reconnection are inherently related phenomena. Turbulent fluctuations generate regions of sheared magnetic field that become unstable to the tearing instability and reconnection, thus modifying turbulence at the corresponding scales. In this contribution, we give a brief review of some recent results on tearing‐mediated magnetic turbulence. We illustrate the main ideas of this rapidly developing field of study by concentrating on two important examples—magnetohydrodynamic Alfvén turbulence and small‐scale kinetic‐Alfvén turbulence. Due to various potential applications of these phenomena in space physics and astrophysics, we specifically try not to overload the text by heavy analytical derivations but rather present a qualitative discussion accessible to a non‐expert in the theories of turbulence and reconnection. Key Points Magnetic turbulence and magnetic reconnection are inherently related phenomena Tearing instability modifies energy cascades in both magnetohydrodynamic and kinetic plasma turbulence Conservation laws play an important role in governing tearing instability effects in magnetic turbulence
ISSN:2169-9380
2169-9402
DOI:10.1029/2020JA028185