Plasma turbulence is ubiquitous throughout the heliosphere but in many respects remains poorly understood. As well as being of intrinsic interest, this turbulence is important for understanding plasma heating, such as in the solar corona, and determining the propagation, and therefore origin, of energetic particles. Two fundamental features of turbulence in the solar wind are anisotropy (different properties with respect to the magnetic field direction) and intermittency (burstiness of the fluctuations), but their origin, precise nature, and, in particular, the relationship between them is not well understood. In this team we will combine observations, simulation and theory to make progress in understanding these features.

Simulation of plasma turbulence in a coronal hole. Credit: Jean Perez.