Wave Turbulence in Inertial Electron Magnetohydrodynamics

Abstract

A wave turbulence theory is developed for inertial electron magnetohydrodynamics (IEMHD) in the presence of a relatively strong and uniform external magnetic field $\boldsymbol{B_0} = B_0 \hat{\boldsymbol{e}}_\|$. This regime is relevant for scales smaller than the electron inertial length $d_e$. We derive the kinetic equations that describe the three-wave interactions between inertial whistler or kinetic Alfv\'en waves. We show that for both invariants, energy and momentum, the transfer is anisotropic (axisymmetric) with a direct cascade mainly in the direction perpendicular ($\perp$) to $\boldsymbol{B_0}$. The exact stationary solutions (Kolmogorov-Zakharov spectra) are obtained for which we prove the locality. We also found the Kolmogorov constant $C_K \simeq 8.474$. In the simplest case, the study reveals an energy spectrum in $k_\perp^{-5/2} k_\|^{-1/2}$ and a momentum spectrum enslaved to the energy dynamics in $k_\perp^{-3/2} k_\|^{-1/2}$. These solutions correspond to a magnetic energy spectrum $\sim k_\perp^{-9/2}$, which is steeper than the EMHD prediction made for scales larger than $d_e$. We conclude with a discussion on the application of the theory to space plasmas.