Multi-scale analysis of compressible fluctuations in the solar wind

Compressible plasma turbulence is investigated in the fast solar wind at proton kinetic scales by the combined use of electron density and magnetic field measurements. Both the scale-dependent cross-correlation (CC) and the reduced magnetic helicity (σm) are used in tandem to determine the propertie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annales geophysicae (1988) 2018-01, Vol.36 (1), p.47-52
Main Authors: Roberts, Owen W., Narita, Yasuhito, Escoubet, C.-Philippe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alfven waves
Analysis
Compressibility
Correlation
Correlation analysis
Electron density
Field strength
Fluctuations
Frequency ranges
Helicity
Magnetic field
Magnetic fields
Magnetic properties
Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
Multiscale analysis
Physics
Plasma
Plasma turbulence
Plasmas (physics)
Protons
Solar wind
Turbulence
Wave packets
Wave propagation
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Summary:Compressible plasma turbulence is investigated in the fast solar wind at proton kinetic scales by the combined use of electron density and magnetic field measurements. Both the scale-dependent cross-correlation (CC) and the reduced magnetic helicity (σm) are used in tandem to determine the properties of the compressible fluctuations at proton kinetic scales. At inertial scales the turbulence is hypothesised to contain a mixture of Alfvénic and slow waves, characterised by weak magnetic helicity and anti-correlation between magnetic field strength B and electron density ne. At proton kinetic scales the observations suggest that the fluctuations have stronger positive magnetic helicities as well as strong anti-correlations within the frequency range studied. These results are interpreted as being characteristic of either counter-propagating kinetic Alfvén wave packets or a mixture of anti-sunward kinetic Alfvén waves along with a component of kinetic slow waves. Keywords. Interplanetary physics (MHD waves and turbulence)
ISSN:1432-0576
0992-7689
1432-0576
DOI:10.5194/angeo-36-47-2018