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Anisotropic scaling of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

Abstract
We present a quantitative estimate of the anisotropic power and scaling of magnetic field fluctuations in inertial range magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, using a novel wavelet technique applied to spacecraft measurements in the solar wind. We show for the first time that, when the local magnetic field direction is parallel to the flow, the spacecraft-frame spectrum has a spectral index near 2. This can be interpreted as the signature of a population of fluctuations in field-parallel wavenumbers with a k║-2 spectrum but is also consistent with the presence of a "critical balance" style turbulent cascade. We also find, in common with previous studies, that most of the power is contained in wavevectors at large angles to the local magnetic field and that this component of the turbulence has a spectral index of 5/3.
Type
Journal Article
Type of thesis
Series
Citation
Horbury, T. S., Forman, M.A. & Oughton, S.(2008). Anisotropic scaling of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. Physical Review Letters. 101, 175005.
Date
2008
Publisher
American Physical Society
Degree
Supervisors
Rights
This is an author's version preprint of an article published in the journal Physical Review Letters. © American Physical Society.