Turbulent fluctuations of density, velocity and magnetic field have been measured in - situ in the solar wind since the 1960's, and significant advances in understanding MHD turbulence have been motivated by such observations. The solar wind is a high Mach number flow (~10), with and a turbulent mach and Alfvén Mach number ~1, and the nature of the turbulence spectrum varies with the state of the solar wind, from what is known as Alfvénic turbulence in high-speed solar wind streams originating in solar coronal holes, to a more standard, compressible MHD turbulent regime in the slow solar wind
originating from the solar activity belt. Whether such turbulence is a remnant of fluctuations which play a role in coronal heating and solar wind accleration is still a subject of some debate. He'll we review the basic observational results and theoretical scenarios put forward to understand MHD turbulence in the context of the sun and the heliosphere. Specific numerical models and simulations techniques used in studies of MHD turbulence in the solar context will also be reviewed, together with their relevance to more general astrophysical problems.
Copyright. All Rights Reserved.