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Alfvénic turbulence is the turbulent interaction of fluctuations polarized primarily as Alfvén waves. In Elsässer variables ${\mathbf{z}}^{\pm }={\mathbf{u}}_{\perp }\pm \delta {\mathbf{B}}_{\perp }/\sqrt{4\pi {\rho }_0}$, each wave population is nonlinearly distorted by the oppositely propagating population. Equal populations give a balanced cascade; unequal populations give an imbalanced cascade. The absence of one population removes the leading nonlinear interaction in ideal reduced magnetohydrodynamics.

An entropy mode is a perturbation of entropy and density with no leading pressure or velocity perturbation in a uniform ideal fluid. For an adiabatic equation of state define $s=\delta p/p_0-\gamma \delta \rho /{\rho }_0$. An entropy perturbation can have $\delta p=0$ and $\delta \rho /{\rho }_0=-s/\gamma$, so it has zero frequency in the local fluid frame. In anisotropic reduced magnetohydrodynamics, $Ds=0$ with $D={\partial }_t+{\mathbf{u}}_{\perp }\cdot {\nabla }_{\perp }$, and turbulence mixes its variance as a passive scalar.

For ideal reduced magnetohydrodynamics with periodic or vanishing-flux boundaries, the five quadratic cascade channels are $I_A^{\pm }=\int |{\mathbf{z}}_{\perp }^{\pm }{|}^{2}dV$, $I_S^{\pm }=\int (f^{\pm }{)}^{2}dV$ and $I_e=\int s^{2}dV$. The perpendicular Elsässer variables, slow-wave amplitudes $f^{\pm }$, and entropy fluctuation $s$ each obey an equation with divergence-free advection. Multiplying each equation by its own field and integrating makes both advection and propagation terms boundary fluxes, while the perpendicular pressure term vanishes by solenoidality. Each integral is therefore separately conserved. The two Alfvén cascades distort one another without exchanging their integrated invariants; the other three are passively cascaded by the Alfvénic motion without feedback at this order. This count concerns quadratic fluctuation-energy channels: an advected scalar also conserves arbitrary integrals $\int F(s)dV$, which are not extra independent quadratic modal channels.

At leading anisotropic order, perpendicular Alfvénic turbulence evolves independently of the compressive fluctuations. The slow modes and the entropy mode are transported by that turbulence. The fast magnetosonic frequency is of order $k_{\perp }(v_A^2+c_s^2{)}^{1/2}$, much larger than the reduced Alfvén frequency; the low-frequency reduced magnetohydrodynamics ordering filters out that fast-wave sector.

The passive evolution can be made explicit for a uniform ideal adiabatic plasma. Let $c_s^2=\gamma p_0/{\rho }_0$, $\delta =\delta \rho /{\rho }_0$, $b=\delta B_{\parallel }/B_0$, and define the normalized entropy perturbationUse $D={\partial }_t+{\mathbf{u}}_{\perp }\cdot {\nabla }_{\perp }$ and ${\nabla }_{\parallel }={\partial }_z+(\delta {\mathbf{B}}_{\perp }/B_0)\cdot {\nabla }_{\perp }$. Perpendicular force balance makes the leading total-pressure perturbation vanish:The ideal entropy equation gives $Ds=0$. The leading continuity and parallel-induction equations have the same compressive divergence term; subtracting them gives $D(\delta -b)=-{\nabla }_{\parallel }{u}_{\parallel }$. Parallel momentum gives $D{u}_{\parallel }=-{\nabla }_{\parallel }\delta p/{\rho }_0$. PutThe two compressive equations therefore becomeLet $c_T=v_A{c}_s/(v_A^2+c_s^2{)}^{1/2}$ be the tube speed and $h=c_s^{2}r/c_T$. ThenThus the slow and entropy fluctuations in reduced magnetohydrodynamics have characteristic amplitudes $f^{\pm }=u_{\parallel }\pm h$ obeyingThe two slow-wave populations propagate in opposite directions along the bent field lines while being mixed across them by ${\mathbf{u}}_{\perp }$. The entropy perturbation is carried by the fluid without a restoring-wave frequency. A pure entropy perturbation has $r=b=u_{\parallel }=0$ and $\delta =-s/\gamma$, so its density variation is accompanied by a temperature change with no leading pressure variation.

The coefficients and advecting fields in these three scalar equations come from the Alfvénic cascade; the scalars do not enter the leading perpendicular Alfvén equations. They therefore develop small perpendicular scales through passive mixing. If a scalar $f$ has constant variance flux ${\mathcal{F}}_f$ and is mixed on the Goldreich–Sridhar time ${\tau }_{\ell }\sim {\mathcal{E}}^{-1/3}{\ell }_{\perp }^{2/3}$, thenThe flux and amplitude need not equal the Alfvénic energy flux. This passive-spectrum statement uses the same locality and stationary inertial-range assumptions as part (a), and ignores additional damping. If a passive mode is absent initially and is not forced, its homogeneous leading equation keeps it absent; the Alfvénic cascade does not have to generate every compressive mode.

Reduced magnetohydrodynamics is the leading ideal-fluid description of small, anisotropic fluctuations about a strong uniform guide field, with $k_{\parallel }/k_{\perp }\sim \delta B_{\perp }/B_0\sim \delta u_{\perp }/v_A\ll 1$. Its solenoidal perpendicular Elsässer variables obeyThe parallel magnetic derivative includes bending of field lines: ${\nabla }_{\parallel }={\partial }_z+(\delta {\mathbf{B}}_{\perp }/B_0)\cdot {\nabla }_{\perp }$. Slow compressive and entropy mode fluctuations are passively transported at this order. The system excludes the rapidly propagating fast magnetosonic wave sector rather than describing all possible MHD perturbations.

In ideal reduced magnetohydrodynamics with constant background sound and Alfvén speeds, perpendicular total-pressure balance gives $\delta p+{\rho }_0{v}_A^2\delta B_{\parallel }/B_0=0$. Put $s=\delta p/p_0-\gamma \delta \rho /{\rho }_0$, $r=\delta \rho /{\rho }_0+s/\gamma$, $c_T=v_A{c}_s/(v_A^2+c_s^2{)}^{1/2}$ and $h=c_s^{2}r/c_T$. Then the parallel momentum, continuity and induction equations yieldThus $f^{\pm }=u_{\parallel }\pm h$ satisfy $D{f}^{\pm }=\mp c_T{\nabla }_{\parallel }{f}^{\pm }$. The two slow-wave populations propagate along bent magnetic field lines and are mixed by the perpendicular Alfvénic turbulence, while the entropy fluctuation is simply advected. They do not force the perpendicular Alfvénic system at this leading order.