Abstract:
A scale for two-dimensional β-plane magnetohydrodynamic turbulence is proposed that characterizes an upper bound of the energy containing interval similar to a classical Rhines scale for neutral fluid turbulence on a β-plane. It is found that only unsteady zonal flows with complex temporal dynamics are formed in two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic turbulence on the β-plane. It is shown that flow nonstationarity is due to the appearance of isotropic magnetic islands caused by the Lorentz force in the system. The characteristic dimensions of a flow are in agreement with the proposed scale.
Citation:
T. A. Zinyakov, A. S. Petrosyan, “Zonal flows in two-dimensional decaying magnetohydrodynamic turbulence on a β-plane”, Pis'ma v Zh. Èksper. Teoret. Fiz., 108:2 (2018), 75–82; JETP Letters, 108:2 (2018), 85–92