INVESTIGATION OF INTERMITTENCY IN MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS AND SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE: SCALE-DEPENDENT KURTOSIS

Journal Article · Tue Jan 10 04:00:00 EST 2012 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/744/2/171· OSTI ID:22004225

Minping, Wan; Osman, Kareem T; Matthaeus, William H ^[1]; Oughton, Sean ^[2]

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1. Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 (United States)
2. Department of Mathematics, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240 (New Zealand)

The behavior of scale-dependent (or filtered) kurtosis is studied in the solar wind using magnetic field measurements from the ACE and Cluster spacecraft at 1 AU. It is also analyzed numerically with high-resolution magnetohydrodynamic spectral simulations. In each case the filtered kurtosis increases with wavenumber, implying the presence of coherent structures at the smallest scales. This phase coupling is related to intermittency in solar wind turbulence and the emergence of non-Gaussian statistics. However, it is inhibited by the presence of upstream waves and other phase-randomizing structures, which act to reduce the growth of kurtosis.

• OSTI ID: 22004225
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 744; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
SOLAR WIND
STATISTICS
TURBULENCE