Turbulence in space plasmas: numerical simulations and in situ observations in the heliosphere.

Ninety-nine percent of visible matter in the universe is neither solid, liquid, nor gas, but an ionized gas called plasma. Plasma is made of ions and electrons, which are microscopic entities endowed with electrical charge. Plasmas with different properties permeate the galaxies, filling the space between stars. While planets and stars exhibit ordered motion in the sky, space plasmas behave in a chaotic way known as turbulence. Turbulence remains the last great unsolved problem of the classical physics. Does these chaotic motions show any order? If so, can we measure it? What are the physical mechanisms and mathematical equations that can describe it? Answering these questions will drastically increase our knowledge of the universe. In the last decades, advancements in computer technology and the outcomes from several space missions launched throughout the solar system have helped to unravel some aspects of the problem, but fundamental questions remain unanswered. I will use the most powerful computational resources available today to conduct cutting-edge numerical simulations of the dynamics of space plasma. The results of these simulations will be compared with the most recent observations made by spacecrafts in the solar system. This synergistic approach will provide answers to some relevant pending questions on turbulence in space plasmas.