CURRENT AND VORTICITY DYNAMICS IN 3-DIMENSIONAL MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC TURBULENCE

Spectral numerical simulations of homogeneous incompressible magnetohydrodynamic turbulence at Reynolds mumbers up to about 500, are performed using a uniform grid of 180(3) collocation points. Strong vorticity and current sheets obtain both in the presence and in the absence of magnetic nulls. Contrary to vortex sheets in hydrodynamics, these structures do not destabilize into filaments, but are locally disrupted. They are the main loci of kinetic and magnetic dissipations. (C) 1995 American institute of Physics.