A prescription for the turbulent heating of astrophysical plasmas
arXiv:1009.4212 · doi:10.1111/j.1745-3933.2010.00958.x
Abstract
The ratio of ion to electron heating due to the dissipation of Alfvenic turbulence in astrophysical plasmas is calculated based on a cascade model for turbulence in weakly collisional plasmas. Conditions for validity of this model are discussed, a prescription for the turbulent heating is presented, and it is applied to predict turbulent heating in accretion disks and the interstellar medium.
5 pages, 4 figures, Accepted to Monthly Notices of Royal Astronomical Society Letters