2014/04/10 by Gregory G. Howes, G. G. Howes, Howes, Gregory G. +6 · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Ocean Waves and Remote Sensing #Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes #Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph) #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR) #Space Physics (physics.space-ph) #astro-ph.SR #physics.plasm-ph #physics.space-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1404.2913
11 pages, 2 figures
arxiv created 2014/04/10 · openalex publication_date 2014/04/10 · arxiv updated 2014/04/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The quasilinear premise is a hypothesis for the modeling of plasma turbulence in which the turbulent fluctuations are represented by a superposition of randomly-phased linear wave modes, and energy is transferred among these wave modes via nonlinear interactions. We define specifically what constitutes the quasilinear premise, and present a range of theoretical arguments in support of the relevance of linear wave properties even in a strongly turbulent plasma. We review evidence both in support of and in conflict with the quasilinear premise from numerical simulations and measurements of plasma turbulence in the solar wind. Although the question of the validity of the quasilinear premise remains to be settled, we suggest that the evidence largely supports the value of the quasilinear premise in modeling plasma turbulence and that its usefulness may also be judged by the insights gained from such an approach, with the ultimate goal to develop the capability to predict the evolution of any turbulent plasma system, including the spectrum of turbulent fluctuations, their dissipation, and the resulting plasma heating.