Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 065004 (2008) [4 pages]Kinetic Simulations of Magnetized Turbulence in Astrophysical PlasmasReceived 21 November 2007; published 14 February 2008 This Letter presents the first ab initio, fully electromagnetic, kinetic simulations of magnetized turbulence in a homogeneous, weakly collisional plasma at the scale of the ion Larmor radius (ion gyroscale). Magnetic- and electric-field energy spectra show a break at the ion gyroscale; the spectral slopes are consistent with scaling predictions for critically balanced turbulence of Alfvén waves above the ion gyroscale (spectral index -5/3) and of kinetic Alfvén waves below the ion gyroscale (spectral indices of -7/3 for magnetic and -1/3 for electric fluctuations). This behavior is also qualitatively consistent with in situ measurements of turbulence in the solar wind. Our findings support the hypothesis that the frequencies of turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind remain well below the ion cyclotron frequency both above and below the ion gyroscale. © 2008 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.065004
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.065004
PACS:
52.35.Ra, 52.65.Tt, 96.50.Tf
See AlsoComment: W. H. Matthaeus, S. Servidio, and P. Dmitruk, Comment on “Kinetic Simulations of Magnetized Turbulence in Astrophysical Plasmas”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 149501 (2008). Reply: G. G. Howes, S. C. Cowley, W. Dorland, G. W. Hammett, E. Quataert, A. A. Schekochihin, and T. Tatsuno, Howes et al. Reply:, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 149502 (2008). |
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