Wave Decay in MHD Turbulence

Abstract

We present a model for nonlinear decay of the weak wave in three-dimensional incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. We show that the decay rate is different for parallel and perpendicular waves. We provide a general formula for arbitrarily directed waves and discuss particular limiting cases known in the literature. We test our predictions with direct numerical simulations of wave decay in three-dimensional MHD turbulence, and discuss the influence of turbulent damping on the development of linear instabilities in the interstellar medium and on other important astrophysical processes.

7 pages, 5 figures, to appear in ApJ 678