2000/08/08 by M. D. Smith, Michael D. Smith, Mordecai‐Mark Mac Low +5
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0008125
accepted to Astron. & Astrophys.; ten pages
arxiv created 2000/08/08 · openalex publication_date 2000/08/08 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Supersonic turbulence generates distributions of shock waves. Here, we analyse the shock waves in three-dimensional numerical simulations of uniformly driven supersonic turbulence, with and without magnetohydrodynamics and self-gravity. We can identify the nature of the turbulence by measuring the distribution of the shock strengths. We find that uniformly driven turbulence possesses a power law distribution of fast shocks with the number of shocks inversely proportional to the square root of the shock jump speed. A tail of high speed shocks steeper than Gaussian results from the random superposition of driving waves which decay rapidly. The energy is dissipated by a small range of fast shocks. These results contrast with the exponential distribution and slow shock dissipation associated with decaying turbulence. A strong magnetic field enhances the shock number transverse to the field direction at the expense of parallel shocks. A simulation with self-gravity demonstrates the development of a number of highly dissipative accretion shocks. Finally, we examine the dynamics to demonstrate how the power-law behaviour arises.