289 research outputs found

    On spectral scaling laws for incompressible anisotropic MHD turbulence

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    A heuristic model is given for anisotropic magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) turbulence in the presence of a uniform external magnetic field B_0 {\bf {\hat e}_{\pa}}. The model is valid for both moderate and strong B0B_0 and is able to describe both the strong and weak wave turbulence regimes as well as the transition between them. The main ingredient of the model is the assumption of constant ratio at all scales between \add{the} linear wave period and \add{the} nonlinear turnover timescale. Contrary to the model of critical balance introduced by Goldreich and Sridhar [P. Goldreich and S. Sridhar, ApJ {\bf 438}, 763 (1995)], it is not assumed in addition that this ratio be equal to unity at all scales which allows us to use the Iroshnikov-Kraichnan phenomenology. It is then possible to recover the widely observed anisotropic scaling law \kpa \propto \kpe^{2/3} between parallel and perpendicular wavenumbers (with reference to B_0 {\bf {\hat e}_{\pa}}) and to obtain the universal prediction, 3α+2β=73\alpha + 2\beta = 7, for the total energy spectrum E(\kpe,\kpa) \sim \kpe^{-\alpha} \kpa^{-\beta}. In particular, with such a prediction the weak Alfv\'en wave turbulence constant-flux solution is recovered and, for the first time, a possible explanation to its precursor found numerically by Galtier et al [S. Galtier et al., J. Plasma Phys. {\bf 63}, 447 (2000)] is given

    Embedded coherent structures from MHD to sub-ion scales in turbulent solar wind at 0.17 au

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    We study solar wind magnetic turbulence with Parker Solar Probe during its first perihelion (at 0.17 au), from MHD to kinetic plasma scales. Using Morlet wavelet decomposition, we detect intermittent coherent structures, appearing as localized in time energetic events and covering a large range of scales. This implies the presence of embedded coherent structures from MHD down to sub-ion scales. For example, we observe a current sheet at MHD scales (200\sim 200 s) with magnetic fluctuations inherent for a magnetic vortex at ion scales (1\sim 1 s) and at sub-ion scales (0.1\sim 0.1 s). The amplitude anisotropy of magnetic fluctuations is analyzed within nearly (i) 200200 structures at MHD scales, (ii) 2103\sim 2 \cdot 10^3 events at ion scales and (iii) 104\sim 10^4 events at sub-ion scales. We compare it with crossings of model structures, such as Alfv\'en vortices, current sheets and magnetic holes, along the trajectories with various impact parameters. From this comparison, we conclude that at MHD and ion scales the majority of the structures are incompressible and represent mainly dipole Alfv\'en vortices (>80 %), monopole Alfv\'en vortices (<10 %) and current sheets (<10 %). On subion scales coherent structures represent monopole vortices (7 %), dipole vortices (49 %) current sheets (5 %) and magnetic holes (0.4 %). Around 40 % of structures at sub-ion scales do not fit any of the considered models. These events might represent compressible vortices.Comment: Submitted to the Astrophysical Journal, 25 pages, 15 figure

    Intermittency and regularity in the Alfvenic range of solar wind turbulence

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    International audienceI discuss some issues about the pointwise and multifractal statistical description of the regularity of the velocity and magnetic field fluctuations in the solar wind, and the relation with dissipation and inertial range intermittency
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