Published June 1, 2011 | Version v1
Journal article

DETAILED FIT OF 'CRITICAL BALANCE' THEORY TO SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE MEASUREMENTS

  • 1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11790-3800 (United States)
  • 2. Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom)

Description

We derive the reduced spectrum of turbulent magnetic fluctuations at different frequencies f which would be observed by a single spacecraft in the solar wind when the magnetic field was at an angle θB to the solar wind flow, if the wavevector spectrum in the solar wind frame were in anisotropic 'critical balance' (CB) as proposed by Goldreich and Sridhar in 1995 (GS95). The anisotropic power spectrum in the inertial range, P(f, θB ), is scaled onto one curve with f-5/3 behavior at θB near 900 and f-2 behavior at small θB. The transition between the two limiting spectra depends on the form of the GS95 wavevector spectrum and the CB scaling parameter L. Using wavelet analysis of Ulysses magnetic field data in three 30-day periods in the high-latitude solar wind in 1995, we verify that the scaling of power with angle and frequency is qualitatively consistent with GS95 theory. However, the scale length L required to fit the observed P(f, θB ) to the original CB theory is rather less than the scale predicted by that theory for the solar wind. Part, possibly all, of this discrepancy is removed when the GS95 theory modified for imbalanced turbulence is used.

Availability note (English)

Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/733/2/76

Additional details

Identifiers

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Astrophysical Journal
Journal Volume
733
Journal Issue
2
Journal Page Range
[8 p.]
ISSN
0004-637X
CODEN
ASJOAB

INIS

Country of Publication
United States
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
43054482
Subject category
S79: ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY;
Descriptors DEI
FLUCTUATIONS; MAGNETIC FIELDS; MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS; SOLAR WIND; TURBULENCE
Descriptors DEC
FLUID MECHANICS; HYDRODYNAMICS; MECHANICS; SOLAR ACTIVITY; STELLAR ACTIVITY; STELLAR WINDS; VARIATIONS