Astroplasmas Seminar

Next seminar 

Monday, June 16, 2025, 3 pm, Dome Room, Peyton Hall (**note the unusual day and time**)

Title: Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence follows Kolmogorov scaling

Speaker: Mahendra K. Verma (Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India) 

Abstract: The problem of scaling in isotropic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence has remained unresolved, with competing predictions of $k^{-5/3}$ (Kolmogorov) and $k^{-3/2}$ (Iroshnikov-Kraichnan) scalings. In this talk I will present  results of high-resolution numerical simulations on $8192^2$ and $1024^3$ grids. The computed energy spectra are closer to $k^{-5/3}$ than $k^{-3/2}$. More importantly, our detailed analyses of structure functions, intermittency exponents, and energy fluxes demonstrate robust support for Kolmogorov scaling.  Our findings firmly establish Kolmogorov scaling in MHD turbulence and significantly improve the theoretical foundations for modeling astrophysical turbulence and dynamo processes.