Radioastronomical Studies of Interstellar Plasma Turbulence

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Dr. Spangler at the University of Iowa will conduct a multifaceted research program to study interstellar turbulence on relatively small scale sizes. The program includes both radio wavelength observations and computational plasma physics. The character of interstellar turbulence has implications for the overall energy balance of the interstellar medium, since density fluctuations will eventually be damped out as heat. Likewise the physical locations of the turbulence, the nature of its origins, and the driving energy inputs for the turbulence have implications for theories of cosmic ray acceleration and propagation and for the dynamics of the interstellar magnetic field. Dr. Spangler has originated a series of methods to get better observational data on density fluctuations in the interstellar medium.