Small scale generation by Uniturbulence in structured plasmas

We simulate the propagation of transverse waves in open coronal structures with perpendicular inhomogeneities, such as coronal plumes. We find that the transverse waves surprisingly become unstable, and this new turbulence generation mechanism stems from only unidirectionally propagating waves. We have called this phenomenon ``uniturbulence'' (Magyar et al. 2017).

In this talk, I will highlight our recent advances in the mathematical understanding of the uniturbulence. We find that the essential ingredients are perpendicular gradients in Alfv\'en speed, and wave vectors in the direction of those gradients. This then modifies the transverse waves to have both Els\"asser components simultaneously and co-propagating, leading to a self-cascade of the waves. This theory allows for designing plasma experiments to verify our theoretical predictions.