Quantitative insight into interstellar turbulence

这是拉扎里安博士关于湍流恒星形成云中的磁场扩散对恒星形成过程的影响的理论工作的继续。螺旋星系的外观、演化和整体性质受其星际介质(ISM)的强烈影响。反过来，ISM的性质和其中的许多过程，如恒星的形成，是由搅动ISM的磁场湍流决定的。湍流流体的性质不能仅用数值方法来确定，而计算机模拟的流体运动与天体物理流体运动的雷诺数有很大的不同。本文着重研究了磁重联在恒星形成中的作用，并研究了ISM不同阶段的湍流的来源和影响。虽然湍流是混沌的，但可以通过应用定义良好的统计定律来描述和理解它来解决天体物理问题。这项工作改进了理论与观测的比较。这些研究使用了已经存在的经过充分测试的数字代码。首席研究员和他的团队将继续开发、测试和应用新的工具来从观测中提取湍流的特性(如湍流谱和湍流的音速马赫数)。这项研究的统计工具已公开可用，并为观测界提供了研究湍流及其驱动和磁化的新工具。一名研究生将在这个项目上工作。该项目还为本科生(REU)提供研究经验。

This is a continuation of Dr. Lazarian's theoretical work on the influence of magnetic field diffusion in turbulent star-forming clouds on the star formation process. The appearance, evolution, and overall properties of a spiral galaxy are strongly influenced by its interstellar medium (ISM). In turn, the nature of the ISM and many processes within it, such as star formation, are determined by the magnetic turbulence that stirs the ISM. Properties of turbulent fluids cannot be confidently understood using only numerical approaches; and the fluid motions simulated by computers differ from astrophysical ones by a huge difference in Reynolds numbers.The present work focuses on the role that magnetic reconnection plays in star formation, and investigates the sources and effects of turbulence in different phases of the ISM. Although turbulence is chaotic, it can be described and understood by applying well defined statistical laws to solve astrophysical problems.The work improves the comparison of theory with observations. The studies employ well-tested numerical codes already in place. The principal investigator and his team will continue to develop, test, and apply new tools for extracting properties of turbulence (such as turbulence spectra and sonic Mach number of turbulence) from observations.The statistical tools from this study are made publicly available and provide new tools to the observational community to study turbulence, its driving, and its magnetization. A graduate student will work on this project. This project also offers Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) students.