Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 8, 2025

The Diffusion of Passive Tracers in Laminar Shear Flow
Published on: May 1, 2018
Regimes of cosmic-ray diffusion in Galactic turbulence
P Reichherzer1,2,3, L Merten4, J Dörner1,2
1Theoretical Physics IV: Plasma-Astroparticle Physics, Faculty for Physics and Astronomy, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
Abstract:
Cosmic-ray transport in astrophysical environments is often dominated by the diffusion of particles in a magnetic field composed of both a turbulent and a mean component. This process, which is two-fold turbulent mixing in that the particle motion is stochastic with respect to the field lines, needs to be understood in order to properly model cosmic-ray signatures. One of the most important aspects in the modeling of cosmic-ray diffusion is that fully resonant scattering, the most effective such process, is only possible if the wave spectrum covers the entire range of propagation angles. By taking the wave spectrum boundaries into account, we quantify cosmic-ray diffusion parallel and perpendicular to the guide field direction at turbulence levels above 5% of the total magnetic field. We apply our results of the parallel and perpendicular diffusion coefficient to the Milky Way. We show that simple purely diffusive transport is in conflict with observations of the inner Galaxy, but that just by taking a Galactic wind into account, data can be matched in the central 5 kpc zone. Further comparison shows that the outer Galaxy at kpc, on the other hand, should be dominated by perpendicular diffusion, likely changing to parallel diffusion at the outermost radii of the Milky Way.
Related Concept Videos
Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion
Diffusion on Chromatography Columns
Longitudinal diffusion occurs when the solute molecules in the mobile phase diffuse from the more concentrated center of the chromatographic band to the more dilute regions on either side, both towards and against the flow direction. This...
Equilibrium Conditions for a Particle
To understand the concept of equilibrium, let us first consider the forces acting on an object. When different forces act on an object, they can...
Momentum And Radiation Pressure
First Law: Particles in One-dimensional Equilibrium
First Law: Particles in Two-dimensional Equilibrium
Newton's first law tells us about...

