Study on Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence and Its Astrophysical Applications

Turbulence and magnetic fields are ubiquitous in the Universe. Their importance to astronomy cannot be overestimated. The theoretical advancements in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence achieved during the past two decades have significantly influenced many fields of astronomy. 

This book provides predictive theories of the magnetic field generation by turbulence and the dissipation of MHD turbulence.

These fundamental non-linear problems were believed to be tractable only numerically. This book provides complete analytical descriptions in quantitative agreement with existing numerics, as well as theoretical predictions in physical regimes still unreachable by simulations, and explanations of various related observations. It also discusses and promotes the astrophysical applications of MHD turbulence theories, including 

(i) the particle acceleration and radiation in high-energy phenomena, e.g., Gamma-Ray Bursts, supernova remnants, cosmic rays; 

(ii) interstellar density fluctuations and the effect on observations, e.g., Faraday rotation, scattering measurements of Galactic and extragalactic radio sources; 

(iii) density and magnetic field structure in molecular clouds toward star formation. 

In closing, this book demonstrates the key role of MHD turbulence in connecting diverse astrophysical processes and unraveling long-standing astrophysical problems, as foreseen by Chandrasekhar, a founder of modern astrophysics.

• gamma-ray bursts
• MHD turbulence
• fast radio burst pulses
• particle acceleration
• interstellar medium

• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA

  Siyao Xu

Siyao Xu received her B.Sc. in Physics from Shandong University, China in 2011 and her Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the Astronomy Department of Peking University in July 2017. Her major research focus in Prof. Bing Zhang’s group is on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence theories and their astrophysical applications. Currently, she is a Hubble fellow working at the Astronomy Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is continuing her research into MHD turbulence and its relation to diverse astrophysical problems.

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