The workshop "Nonhnear MHD Waves and Turbulence" was held at the - servatoire de Nice, December 1-4, 1998 and brought together an international group of experts in plasma physics, fluid dynamics and applied mathematics. The aim of the meeting was to survey the current knowledge on two main topics: (i) propagation of plasma waves (like Alfven, whistler or ion-acoustic waves), their instabilities and the development of a nonlinear dynamics lea ding to solitonic structures, wave collapse or weak turbulence; (ii) turbulence in magnetohydrodynamic flows and its reduced description in the presence of a strong ambient magnetic fleld. As is well known, both aspects play an important role in various geophysical or astrophysical media such as the - gnetospheres of planets, the heliosphere, the solar wind, the solar corona, the interplanetary and interstellar media, etc. This volume, which includes expanded versions of oral contributions pre sented at this meeting, should be of interest for a large community of resear chers in space plasmas and nonlinear sciences. Special effort was made to put the new results into perspective and to provide a detailed literature review. A main motivation was the attempt to relate more closely the theoretical un derstanding of MHD waves and turbulence (both weak and strong) with the most recent observations in space plasmas. Some papers also bring interesting new insights into the evolution of hydrodynamic or magnetohydrodynamic structures, based on systematic asymptotic methods.

This is the first book to give a comprehensive overview of recent observational and theoretical results on solar wind structures and fluctuations and magnetohydrodynamic waves and turbulence, preference being given to phenomena in the inner heliosphere. Emphasis is placed on the progress made in the past decade in the understanding of the nature and origin of especially small-scale, compressible and incompressible fluctuations. Turbulence models describing the spatial transport and spectral transfer of the fluctuations in the inner heliosphere are discussed. Intermittency of solar wind fluctuations and their statistical distributions are investigated. Studies of the heating and acceleration effects of the turbulence on the background wind are critically surveyed. Finally, open questions concerning the origin, nature and evolution of the fluctuations are listed, and perspectives for future research are outlined. The book is for graduate students and researchers in the field. Other target groups are scientists and professionals interested in space plasma physics and/or MHD turbulence.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on PDEs in Models of Superfluidity, Superconductivity and Reactive Flows, held in Cargèse, France, from 21 June to 3 July 1999

Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts is devoted to the recording, summarizing and indexing of astronomical publications throughout the world. Two volumes are scheduled to appear per year. Volume 67 records 10,903 papers covering besides the classical fields of astronomy and astrophysics such matters as space flights related to astronomy, lunar and planetary probes and satellites, meteorites and interplanetary matter, X rays and cosmic rays, quasars and pulsars. The abstracts are classified under more than one hundred subject categories thus permitting quick surveying of the bulk of material published on the same topic within six months. For instance, this volume records 119 papers on minor planets, 155 papers on supernovae, and 554 papers on cosmology.

The third COSPAR Colloquium entitled Solar Wind Seven was held in Goslar, Germany in September 1991. Twenty-two countries were represented by scientists, many of whom are leading experts in the area of heliospheric physics. The Proceedings reflect current research on solar wind and particularly emphasizes the source regions. The main topics covered encompass Coronal Heating and Solar Wind Acceleration; Large-Scale Structure of the Interplanetary Medium; Minor Ions, Neutrals and Cosmic Rays in the Heliosphere; Kinetic Physics, Waves and Turbulence and finally Heliospheric Dynamic Phenomena.

Wave Turbulence refers to the statistical theory of weakly nonlinear dispersive waves. There is a wide and growing spectrum of physical applications, ranging from sea waves, to plasma waves, to superfluid turbulence, to nonlinear optics and Bose-Einstein condensates. Beyond the fundamentals the book thus also covers new developments such as the interaction of random waves with coherent structures (vortices, solitons, wave breaks), inverse cascades leading to condensation and the transitions between weak and strong turbulence, turbulence intermittency as well as finite system size effects, such as “frozen” turbulence, discrete wave resonances and avalanche-type energy cascades. This book is an outgrow of several lectures courses held by the author and, as a result, written and structured rather as a graduate text than a monograph, with many exercises and solutions offered along the way. The present compact description primarily addresses students and non-specialist researchers wishing to enter and work in this field.

Magnetohydrodynamic Processes in The Solar Plasma provides comprehensive and up-to-date theory and practice of the fundamentals of heliospheric research and the Sun's basic plasma processes, covering the dynamics of the solar interior to its exterior in the framework of magnetohydrodynamics. The book covers novel aspects of solar and heliospheric physics, astrophysics and space science, and fundamentals of the fluids and plasmas. Topics covered include key phenomena in the solar interior such as magnetism, dynamo physics, and helioseismology; dynamics and plasma processes in its exterior including fluid processes such as waves, shocks, instabilities, reconnection, and dynamics in the partially ionized plasma; and physics and science related to coronal heating, solar wind, and eruptive phenomena. The content has been developed to specifically cover fundamental physics-related descriptions and up-to-date developments of the scientific research related to these significant topics. The book therefore provides the entire fundamental and front-line research aspects of solar and heliospheric plasma processes, mainly in the context of solar plasma, however, the content also has larger implications for the astrophysical plasma, and laboratory plasma, fluid dynamics, and associated basic theories. It also includes additional supplementary content such as key instruments and experimental techniques in the form of appendices, boxed-off key information highlighting the most fundamental and key aspects, and worked examples with additional question sets.Magnetohydrodynamic Processes in The Solar Plasma covers both the fundamentals of the topics included as well as up-to-date and future developments in this research field, forming an essential, foundational reference for researchers, academics, and advanced students, in the field of solar physics and astrophysics, as well as neighboring disciplines. - Applies fundamental solar science and research in magnetohydrodynamic processes to practice, and uses in teaching and research - Covers the latest developments in solar plasma processes in terms of both theoretical and fundamental aspects. - Includes the large cohort of plasma processes (e.g., waves, shocks, instabilities, reconnection, heating, magnetism, seismology) significant for the diverse scales of the plasmas and fluids. - Provides detailed physical and mathematical descriptions of the theories in each chapter, along with scientific details, which will enhance understanding of basic phenomena and aid in applying the practical content to current research