Turbulence
(in plasmas)
What is turbulence?
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is any pattern of fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to a laminar flow regime, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between those layers.
How to study and analyze turbulence?
Probabilistic analysis can reveal important characteristics to identify and quantify the turbulent system as well as provide a basis to compare experiments and theory. Using Fourier analysis of various quantities in a turbulent flow such as its velocity can show the role turbulence plays and how different system parameters affect the turbulent flow.
So what is needed to create a turbulent system
A system at rest and in an equilibrium will not become turbulent without a 'nudge'. So what are the necessary ingredients that can lead to symmetry breaking and thus cause turbulence.
Turbulence in plasmas
Plasma are turbulent and turbulence plays a dominant part in multiple aspects of plasma physics. Understanding of turbulence and the various instabilities that cause turbulence has been instrumental to understand more about star formation, super nova and nebula, accretion disks, the sun, the solar wind, our magnetosphere, the rings of Saturn, the storms on Jupiter. It also directly affects the plasmas we use to try and achieve fusion energy as turbulence is the dominant cause for the 'leakage' of plasmas confined by magnetic fields.
Turbulence in plasmas is everywhere
Turbulence is omni-present in plasmas at various temperatures, densities and scales here on earth in outer space. Understanding of plasmas in turbulence will play a fundamental role in answering questions related to the universe as well as achieving a fusion reactor where the core is hotter than the sun and the edge has cryogenic cooled superconducting magnets.
Where can I find more information?
Specialized Textbooks (search your university library as some are expensive and difficult to find)
Turbulence: The Legacy of A. N. Kolmogorov by Uriel Frisch
Turbulent Flows by Stephen B. Pope
Turbulence, Coherent Structures, Dynamical Systems and Symmetry by Philip Holmes, John L. Lumley, Gahl Berkooz, Clarence W. Rowley
Plasma Turbulence by B.B. Kadomtsev
Plasma and Fluid Turbulence: Theory and Modelling (Series in Plasma Physics) by A. Yoshizawa, S.I. Itoh, K. Itoh
Modern Plasma Physics: Volume 1, Physical Kinetics of Turbulent Plasmas by Patrick H. Diamond, Sanae-I. Itoh, Kimitaka Itoh
Rotation and Momentum Transport in Magnetized Plasmas (Reviews of the Theory of Magnetized Plasmas) by Phillipe Ghendrih, Xavier Garbet, Yanick Sarazin
Hydrodynamic and Hydromagnetic Stability (International Series of Monographs on Physics) by S. Chandrasekhar
Hydrodynamic Stability (Cambridge Mathematical Library) by P. G. Drazin, W. H. Reid