Electron Scale Solar Wind Turbulence: Cluster Observations and Theoretical Modeling

Journal Article · Tue Jan 04 04:00:00 EST 2011 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3544320· OSTI ID:21510079

Sahraoui, F ^[1]; Goldstein, M L ^[2]

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1. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 673, Greenbelt 20771, Maryland, USA and Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas, CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique, Velizy 78140 (France)
2. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 673, Greenbelt 20771, Maryland (United States)

Turbulence at MagnetoHydroDynamics (MHD) scales of the solar wind has been studied for more than three decades, using data analyzes, theoretical and numerical modeling. However smaller scales have not been explored until very recently. Here, we review recent results on the first observation of cascade and dissipation of the solar wind turbulence at the electron scales. Thanks to the high resolution magnetic and electric field data of the Cluster spacecraft, we computed the spectra of turbulence up to {approx}100 Hz (in the spacecraft reference frame) and found two distinct breakpoints in the magnetic spectrum at 0.4 Hz and 35 Hz, which correspond, respectively, to the Doppler-shifted proton and electron gyroscales, f{sub {rho}p} and f{sub {rho}e}. Below f{sub {rho}p} the spectrum follows a Kolmogorov scaling f{sup -1.62}, typical of spectra observed at 1 AU. Above f{sub {rho}p} a second inertial range is formed with a scaling f{sup -2.3} down to f{sub {rho}e}. Above f{sub {rho}e} the spectrum has a steeper power law {approx}f{sup -4.1} down to the noise level of the instrument. Solving numerically the linear Maxwell-Vlasov equations combined with recent theoretical predictions of the Gyro-Kinetic theory, we show that the present results are fully consistent with a scenario of a quasi-two-dimensional cascade into Kinetic Alfven modes (KAW).

• OSTI ID: 21510079
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1320; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
BARYONS
BOLTZMANN-VLASOV EQUATION
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
DOPPLER EFFECT
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EQUATIONS
FERMIONS
FLUID MECHANICS
FORECASTING
HADRONS
HYDRODYNAMICS
LEPTONS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MECHANICS
NUCLEONS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PLASMA
PROTONS
RESOLUTION
SCALING
SIMULATION
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND
SPECTRA
STELLAR ACTIVITY
STELLAR WINDS
TURBULENCE
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS