Anisotropies of the Magnetic Field Fluctuations at Kinetic Scales in the Solar Wind: Cluster Observations
File(s)1710.02341v1.pdf (664.49 KB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Lacombe, Catherine
Alexandrova, Olga
Matteini, Lorenzo
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We present the first statistical study of the anisotropy of the magnetic field turbulence in the solar wind between 1 and 200 Hz, i.e., from proton to sub-electron scales. We consider 93 ten-minute intervals of the Cluster/STAFF measurements. We find that the fluctuations $\delta {B}_{\perp }^{2}$ are not gyrotropic at a given frequency f, a property already observed at larger scales ($\parallel /\perp $ means parallel/perpendicular to the average magnetic ${{\boldsymbol{B}}}_{0}$). This non-gyrotropy gives indications of the angular distribution of the wave vectors ${\boldsymbol{k}}$: at $f\lt $ 10 Hz, we find that ${k}_{\perp }\gg {k}_{\parallel }$, mainly in the fast wind; at $f\,\gt $ 10 Hz, fluctuations with a non-negligible k ∥ are also present. We then consider the anisotropy ratio $\delta {B}_{\parallel }^{2}/\delta {B}_{\perp }^{2}$, which is a measure of the magnetic compressibility of the fluctuations. This ratio, always smaller than 1, increases with f. It reaches a value showing that the fluctuations are more or less isotropic at electron scales, for $f\geqslant 50\,\mathrm{Hz}$. From 1 to 15–20 Hz, there is a strong correlation between the observed compressibility and the one expected for the kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs), which only depends on the total plasma β. For $f\gt 15\mbox{--}20\,\mathrm{Hz}$, the observed compressibility is larger than expected for KAWs, and it is stronger in the slow wind: this could be an indication of the presence of a slow-ion acoustic mode of fluctuations, which is more compressive and is favored by the larger values of the electron to proton temperature ratio generally observed in the slow wind.
Date Issued
2017-10-10
Date Acceptance
2017-07-25
Citation
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, 2017, 848 (1)
ISSN
0004-637X
Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
Journal / Book Title
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Volume
848
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2017 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The definitive publisher authenticated version is available online at https://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aa8c06
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000412819100005&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Astronomy & Astrophysics
plasmas
solar wind
turbulence
waves
ELECTRON SCALES
ASTROPHYSICAL GYROKINETICS
PLASMA TURBULENCE
ALFVEN WAVES
1 AU
INSTABILITIES
MAGNETOSHEATH
IDENTIFICATION
DISSIPATION
SPECTRUM
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 45
Date Publish Online
2017-10-10