Dynamic alignment and plasmoid formation in relativistic magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
2021-12-22 v1 Plasma Physics
Abstract
We present high resolution 2D and 3D simulations of magnetized decaying turbulence in relativistic resistive magneto-hydrodynamics. The simulations show dynamic formation of large scale intermittent long-lived current sheets being disrupted by the tearing instability into plasmoid chains. These current sheets are locations of enhanced magnetic field dissipation and heating of the plasma. We find magnetic energy spectra , together with strongly pronounced dynamic alignment of Elsasser fields and of velocity and magnetic fields, for strong guide-field turbulence, whereas we retrieve spectra for the case of a weak guide-field.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2111.08188,
title = {Dynamic alignment and plasmoid formation in relativistic magnetohydrodynamic turbulence},
author = {Alexander Chernoglazov and Bart Ripperda and Alexander A. Philippov},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2111.08188},
year = {2021}
}
Comments
accepted for publication in the ApJ Letters