Spectral energetics of quasi-static MHD turbulence

Some spectral properties of homogeneous magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence are reported. The incompressible fluid is electrically conducting and subject to a uniform magnetic field of different intensities. The flow evolution is studied by solving directly in a periodic cubic box the Navier-Stokes equations with the addition of the Lorentz term. This is modeled according to the quasi-static approximation, given the low value of the magnetic Reynolds number. 2D spectra of the kinetic energy highlight the region of the Fourier space that is the most affected by Joule dissipation, and how the anisotropy varies with respect to the direction of application of the magnetic field. Distributions of the nonlinear transfer indicate that, at small scales, the flux of energy is both radial and angular. The degree of locality of the transfer in both directions is of comparable degree, when the Lorentz force is large. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.SCOPUS: ar.j