Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2006 / iii / Paper 69 / 2

Put $a=c/(4\pi en)$ and retain terms linear in $\delta \mathbf{B}$. The electron magnetohydrodynamics induction equation becomesHere the curl of $(\nabla \times \delta \mathbf{B})\times B_0\hat{\mathbf{z}}$ reduces to $B_0{\partial }_z\nabla \times \delta \mathbf{B}$, since the background magnetic field is constant and the divergence of a curl vanishes. For a plane wave $\delta \mathbf{B}=\mathbf{b}{e}^{i(\mathbf{k}\cdot \mathbf{r}-\omega t)}$, the linear equation and the solenoidal constraint areOn the transverse plane, the operator $i\mathbf{k}\times$ has eigenvalues $\pm k$ by the helicity decomposition of a transverse Fourier mode. Equivalently, squaring the equation and using the vector triple product gives ${\omega }^2=a^2{B}_0^2{k}_{\parallel }^2{k}^2$. Since $a{B}_0=v_A{d}_i$, where $v_A$ is the Alfvén speed and $d_i$ the ion skin depth,The two branches have opposite circular polarizations. The specified electron-only induction model describes a whistler wave; the paper calls these branches kinetic Alfvén waves. The following cascade calculation uses the specified model and its dispersion relation, without adding the pressure response needed for the usual kinetic Alfvén interpretation.

Let $b_l=\delta B_l/B_0$. The nonlinear term has two perpendicular spatial derivatives, so its rate relative to the fluctuation amplitude isThe wave period from part (a), using $k\sim k_{\perp }$, is ${\tau }_w\sim l_{\parallel }{l}_{\perp }/(v_A{d}_i)$. A weak wave cascade requires that one interaction change a packet only slightly:For interactions with decorrelated phases, successive fractional changes accumulate as a random walk. An order-one change needs $N{\chi }^2\sim 1$, givingConstant energy flux per unit mass then gives $ϵ\sim v_A^2{b}_l^2/{\tau }_l\sim v_A^3{d}_i{b}_l^4{l}_{\parallel }/l_{\perp }^3$, henceThe weak electron-magnetohydrodynamic cascade scaling uses both locality in scale and the decorrelation assumption; a small amplitude by itself does not specify the cascade time.

For an isotropic weak electron-magnetohydrodynamic cascade, set $l_{\parallel }\sim l_{\perp }\sim l$. Part (b) gives $\delta B_l\propto l^{1/2}$. With the one-dimensional shell convention for the magnetic energy spectrum, fluctuations on scale $l\sim k^{-1}$ satisfy $\delta B_l^2\sim k{E}_B(k)$ up to normalization constants. ThereforeThis is the shell-integrated spectrum. The three-dimensional spectral tensor coefficient has two additional powers of $k^{-1}$ and scales as $H(k)\propto k^{-4}$. These exponents apply within the assumed local, weak cascade range.

Critical balance makes the nonlinear interaction time comparable to the wave period:An order-one interaction transfers energy in ${\tau }_l\sim {\tau }_{\mathrm{nl}}$, so constant energy flux gives $ϵ\sim v_A^3{d}_i{b}_l^3/l_{\perp }^2$. Thus the critically balanced electron-magnetohydrodynamic cascade hasFor the corresponding perpendicular magnetic energy spectrum, $\delta B_l^2\sim k_{\perp }{E}_B(k_{\perp })$ gives $E_B(k_{\perp })\propto k_{\perp }^{-7/3}$. The increasing ratio $l_{\parallel }/l_{\perp }\propto l_{\perp }^{-2/3}$ describes progressively more anisotropic fluctuations at smaller perpendicular scales, within the range in which the model and critical balance assumptions hold.