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Non-Gaussian statistics in space plasma turbulence, fractal properties and pitfalls
Magnetic field fluctuations in the vicinity of the Earth's bow shock have
been investigated with the aim to characterize the intermittent behaviour of
strong plasma turbulence. The observed small-scale intermittency may be the
signature of a multifractal process but a deeper inspection reveals caveats in
such an interpretation. Several effects, including the anisotropy of the
wavefield, the violation of the Taylor hypothesis and the occasional occurrence
of coherent wave packets, strongly affect the higher order statistical
properties. After correcting these effects, a more Gaussian and scale-invariant
wavefield is recovered.Comment: 13 pages (including 13 postscript figures), to appear in Nonlinear
Processes in Geophysic
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