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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Investigation of Early Plasma Evolution Induced by Ultrashort Laser Pulses
Published on: July 2, 2012
Intermittency, nonlinear dynamics and dissipation in the solar wind and astrophysical plasmas
W H Matthaeus1, Minping Wan2, S Servidio3
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Arcavacata, Rende, Italy Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Firenze, Firenze, Italy whm@udel.edu.
Abstract:
An overview is given of important properties of spatial and temporal intermittency, including evidence of its appearance in fluids, magnetofluids and plasmas, and its implications for understanding of heliospheric plasmas. Spatial intermittency is generally associated with formation of sharp gradients and coherent structures. The basic physics of structure generation is ideal, but when dissipation is present it is usually concentrated in regions of strong gradients. This essential feature of spatial intermittency in fluids has been shown recently to carry over to the realm of kinetic plasma, where the dissipation function is not known from first principles. Spatial structures produced in intermittent plasma influence dissipation, heating, and transport and acceleration of charged particles. Temporal intermittency can give rise to very long time correlations or a delayed approach to steady-state conditions, and has been associated with inverse cascade or quasi-inverse cascade systems, with possible implications for heliospheric prediction.
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