Speaker
Jonathan Braithwaite
(University of Bonn)
Description
From pulsar scintillations we infer the presence of density variations in the ISM, and there are reasons to believe that the effect is caused mainly by sheet-like structures. It has been suggested that these may be current sheets. I present arguments from basic MHD theory that this is exactly what we should expect, as well as results from simple simulations of decaying turbulence which demonstrate the spontaneous appearance of current sheets. Such current sheets are already known in the context of the solar corona, where they are probably responsible for the heating. It seems though that they are actually a much more general phenomenon, and that we should expect to find them in all astrophysical contexts.
Author
Jonathan Braithwaite
(University of Bonn)