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A Novel Method for Estimating the Intrinsic Magnetic Field Spectrum of Kinetic-Range Turbulence. ATMOSPHERE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos12121547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Understanding plasma turbulence below the ion characteristic scales is one of the key open problems of solar wind physics. The bulk of our knowledge about the nature of the kinetic-scale fluctuations comes from the high-cadence measurements of the magnetic field. The spacecraft frame frequencies of the sub-ion scale fluctuations are frequently around the Nyquist frequencies of the magnetic field sampling rate. Thus, the resulting ‘measured’ time series may significantly differ from the ‘true’ ones. It follows that second-order moments (e.g., power spectral density, PSD) of the signal may also be highly affected in both their amplitude and their slope. In this paper, we focus on the estimation of the PSD slope for finitely sampled data and we unambiguously define a so-called local slope in the framework of Continuous Wavelet Transform. Employing Monte Carlo simulations, we derive an empirical formula that assesses the statistical error of the local slope estimation. We illustrate the theoretical results by analyzing measurements of the magnetic field instrument (MFI) on board the Wind spacecraft. Our analysis shows that the trace power spectra of magnetic field measurements of MFI can be modeled as the sum of PSD of an uncorrelated noise and an intrinsic signal. We show that the local slope strongly depends on the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, stressing that noise can significantly affect the slope even for S/N around 10. Furthermore, we show that the local slopes below the frequency corresponding to proton inertial length, 5≳kλpi>1, depend on the level of the magnetic field fluctuations in the inertial range (Pin), exhibiting a gradual flattening from about −11/3 for high Pin toward about −8/3 for low Pin.
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Verscharen D, Wicks RT, Alexandrova O, Bruno R, Burgess D, Chen CHK, D’Amicis R, De Keyser J, de Wit TD, Franci L, He J, Henri P, Kasahara S, Khotyaintsev Y, Klein KG, Lavraud B, Maruca BA, Maksimovic M, Plaschke F, Poedts S, Reynolds CS, Roberts O, Sahraoui F, Saito S, Salem CS, Saur J, Servidio S, Stawarz JE, Štverák Š, Told D. A Case for Electron-Astrophysics. EXPERIMENTAL ASTRONOMY 2021; 54:473-519. [PMID: 36915623 PMCID: PMC9998602 DOI: 10.1007/s10686-021-09761-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The smallest characteristic scales, at which electron dynamics determines the plasma behaviour, are the next frontier in space and astrophysical plasma research. The analysis of astrophysical processes at these scales lies at the heart of the research theme of electron-astrophysics. Electron scales are the ultimate bottleneck for dissipation of plasma turbulence, which is a fundamental process not understood in the electron-kinetic regime. In addition, plasma electrons often play an important role for the spatial transfer of thermal energy due to the high heat flux associated with their velocity distribution. The regulation of this electron heat flux is likewise not understood. By focussing on these and other fundamental electron processes, the research theme of electron-astrophysics links outstanding science questions of great importance to the fields of space physics, astrophysics, and laboratory plasma physics. In this White Paper, submitted to ESA in response to the Voyage 2050 call, we review a selection of these outstanding questions, discuss their importance, and present a roadmap for answering them through novel space-mission concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Verscharen
- Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Dorking, UK
- Space Science Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH USA
| | - Robert T. Wicks
- Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Dorking, UK
- Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
| | - Olga Alexandrova
- Laboratoire d’Études Spatiales et d’Instrumentation en Astrophysique, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, Paris, France
| | - Roberto Bruno
- Instituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Rome, Italy
| | - David Burgess
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Johan De Keyser
- Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Thierry Dudok de Wit
- Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l’Environment et de l’Espace, CNRS, University of Orléans and CNES, Orléans, France
| | - Luca Franci
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, INAF, Firenze, Italy
| | - Jiansen He
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Pierre Henri
- Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l’Environment et de l’Espace, CNRS, University of Orléans and CNES, Orléans, France
- CNRS, UCA, OCA, Lagrange, Nice, France
| | - Satoshi Kasahara
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Kristopher G. Klein
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Department of Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ USA
| | - Benoit Lavraud
- Laboratoire d’astrophysique de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Pessac, France
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, UPS, CNES, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Bennett A. Maruca
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, DE USA
| | - Milan Maksimovic
- Laboratoire d’Études Spatiales et d’Instrumentation en Astrophysique, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, Paris, France
| | | | - Stefaan Poedts
- Centre for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Institute of Physics, University of Maria Curie-Skłodowska, Lublin, Poland
| | | | - Owen Roberts
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
| | - Fouad Sahraoui
- Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas, CNRS, École Polytechnique, Sorbonne Université, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, Paris Saclay, Palaiseau, France
| | - Shinji Saito
- Space Environment Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Chadi S. Salem
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Joachim Saur
- Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sergio Servidio
- Department of Physics, Università della Calabria, Rende, Italy
| | | | - Štěpán Štverák
- Astronomical Institute and Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Daniel Told
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Garching, Germany
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3
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Alexandrova O, Jagarlamudi VK, Hellinger P, Maksimovic M, Shprits Y, Mangeney A. Spectrum of kinetic plasma turbulence at 0.3-0.9 astronomical units from the Sun. Phys Rev E 2021; 103:063202. [PMID: 34271660 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.103.063202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
We investigate spectral properties of turbulence in the solar wind that is a weakly collisional astrophysical plasma, accessible to in situ observations. Using the Helios search coil magnetometer measurements in the fast solar wind, in the inner heliosphere, we focus on properties of the turbulent magnetic fluctuations at scales smaller than the ion characteristic scales, the so-called kinetic plasma turbulence. At such small scales, we show that magnetic power spectra between 0.3 and 0.9 AU from the Sun have a generic shape ∼f^{-8/3}exp(-f/f_{d}), where the dissipation frequency f_{d} is correlated with the Doppler shifted frequency f_{ρe} of the electron Larmor radius. This behavior is statistically significant: all the observed kinetic spectra are well described by this model, with f_{d}=f_{ρe}/1.8. Our results indicate that the electron gyroradius plays the role of the dissipation scale and marks the end of the electromagnetic cascade in the solar wind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Alexandrova
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon, France
| | - Vamsee Krishna Jagarlamudi
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon, France.,LPC2E, CNRS, University of Orléans, 3 Avenue de la Recherche Scientifique, F-45071 Orleans Cedex 2, France.,Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology, National Institute for Astrophysics, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Petr Hellinger
- Astronomical Institute, CAS, Bocni II/1401, CZ-14100 Prague, Czech Republic.,Institute of Atmospheric Physics, CAS, Bocni II/1401, CZ-14100 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Milan Maksimovic
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon, France
| | - Yuri Shprits
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, University of Potsdam, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Andre Mangeney
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon, France
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Teodorescu E, Echim M. Open-Source Software Analysis Tool to Investigate Space Plasma Turbulence and Nonlinear DYNamics (ODYN). EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE (HOBOKEN, N.J.) 2020; 7:e2019EA001004. [PMID: 32715025 PMCID: PMC7375156 DOI: 10.1029/2019ea001004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We have designed and built a versatile modularized software library-ODYN-that wraps a comprehensive set of advanced data analysis methods meant to facilitate the study of turbulence, nonlinear dynamics, and complexity in space plasmas. The Python programming language is used for the algorithmic implementation of models and methods devised to understand fundamental phenomena of space plasma physics like elements of spectral analysis, probability distribution functions and their moments, multifractal analysis, or information theory. ODYN is an open-source software analysis tool and freely available to any user interested in turbulence and nonlinear dynamics analysis and provides a tool to perform automatic analysis on large collections of space measurements, in situ or simulations, a feature that distinguishes ODYN from other similar software. A user-friendly configurator is provided, which allows customization of key parameters of the analysis methods, most useful for nonprogrammers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - M.M. Echim
- Institute of Space Science (ISS)MăgureleRomania
- The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA‐IASB)BrusselsBelgium
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5
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Sorriso-Valvo L, Catapano F, Retinò A, Le Contel O, Perrone D, Roberts OW, Coburn JT, Panebianco V, Valentini F, Perri S, Greco A, Malara F, Carbone V, Veltri P, Pezzi O, Fraternale F, Di Mare F, Marino R, Giles B, Moore TE, Russell CT, Torbert RB, Burch JL, Khotyaintsev YV. Turbulence-Driven Ion Beams in the Magnetospheric Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 122:035102. [PMID: 30735422 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.035102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The description of the local turbulent energy transfer and the high-resolution ion distributions measured by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission together provide a formidable tool to explore the cross-scale connection between the fluid-scale energy cascade and plasma processes at subion scales. When the small-scale energy transfer is dominated by Alfvénic, correlated velocity, and magnetic field fluctuations, beams of accelerated particles are more likely observed. Here, for the first time, we report observations suggesting the nonlinear wave-particle interaction as one possible mechanism for the energy dissipation in space plasmas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Sorriso-Valvo
- Nanotec/CNR, U.O.S. di Cosenza, Ponte P. Bucci, cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Italy and Departamento de Física, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, 170517 Quito, Ecuador
| | - Filomena Catapano
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Italy and LPP-CNRS/Ecole Polytechnique/Sorbonne Université, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
| | - Alessandro Retinò
- LPP-CNRS/Ecole Polytechnique/Sorbonne Université, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
| | - Olivier Le Contel
- LPP-CNRS/Ecole Polytechnique/Sorbonne Université, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
| | - Denise Perrone
- Department of Physics, Imperial College of London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Owen W Roberts
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Schmiedlstrasse 6, 8042 Graz, Austria
| | - Jesse T Coburn
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Panebianco
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Francesco Valentini
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Silvia Perri
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Antonella Greco
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Francesco Malara
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Carbone
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Veltri
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Oreste Pezzi
- Gran Sasso Science Institute, Viale F. Crispi 7, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy and Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, cubo 31C, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Federico Fraternale
- Dipartimento di Scienza Applicata e Tecnologia, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Mare
- Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Sem Sælands Vei 26, Fysikkbygningen 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | - Raffaele Marino
- Laboratoire de Mécanique des Fluides et d'Acoustique, CNRS, École Centrale de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSA de Lyon, F-69134 Écully, France
| | - Barbara Giles
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - Thomas E Moore
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - Christopher T Russell
- Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, and Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA
| | - Roy B Torbert
- Space Science Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA
| | - Jim L Burch
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238-5166, USA
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