This book presents an introduction to, and modern account of, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, an active field both in general turbulence theory and in various areas of astrophysics. The book starts by introducing the MHD equations, certain useful approximations and the transition to turbulence. The second part of the book covers incompressible MHD turbulence, the macroscopic aspects connected with the different self-organization processes, the phenomenology of the turbulence spectra, two-point closure theory, and intermittency. The third considers two-dimensional turbulence and compressible (in particular, supersonic) turbulence. Because of the similarities in the theoretical approach, these chapters start with a brief account of the corresponding methods developed in hydrodynamic turbulence. The final part of the book is devoted to astrophysical applications: turbulence in the solar wind, in accretion disks, and in the interstellar medium. This book is suitable for graduate stud
This book presents an introduction to, and modern account of, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, an active field both in general turbulence theory and in various areas of astrophysics. The book starts by introducing the MHD equations, certain useful approximations and the transition to turbulence. The second part of the book covers incompressible MHD turbulence, the macroscopic aspects connected with the different self-organization processes, the phenomenology of the turbulence spectra, two-point closure theory, and intermittency. The third considers two-dimensional turbulence and compressible (in particular, supersonic) turbulence. Because of the similarities in the theoretical approach, these chapters start with a brief account of the corresponding methods developed in hydrodynamic turbulence. The final part of the book is devoted to astrophysical applications: turbulence in the solar wind, in accretion disks, and in the interstellar medium. This book is suitable for graduate stud
This book, first published in 2000, provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory of magnetic field line reconnection, now a major subject in plasma physics. The book focuses on the various reconnection mechanisms dominating magnetic processes under the different plasma conditions encountered in astrophysical systems and in laboratory fusion devices. The book consists of two major parts: the first deals with the classical resistive approach, while the second presents an overview of weakly collisional or collisionless plasmas. Applications primarily concern astrophysical phenomena and dynamo theory, with emphasis on the solar and geodynamo, as well as magnetospheric substorms, the most spectacular reconnection events in the magnetospheric plasma. The theoretical procedures and results also apply directly to reconnection processes in laboratory plasmas, in particular the sawtooth phenomenon in tokamaks. The book will be of value to graduate students and researchers interested in ma
A self-contained introduction to magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), with emphasis on nonlinear processes. Chapters 2 to 4 outline the conventional aspects of MHD theory, magnetostatic equilibrium and linear stability theory, which form a natural basis for the topics in the subsequent chapters. The main part, chapters 5 to 7, presents nonlinear theory, starting with the evolutions and saturations of individual ideas and resistive instabilities, continuing with a detailed analysis of magnetic reconnection, and concluding with the most complex nonlinear behaviour, that of MHD turbulence. The last chapters describe three important applications of the theory: disruptive processes in tokamaks, MHD effects in reversed-field pinches, and solar flares. In the presentation the focus is more on physical mechanisms than on special formalisms. The book is essential reading for researchers and graduate students interested in MHD processes both in laboratory and in astrophysical plasmas.
