Stationarity of magnetohydrodynamic fluctuations in the solar wind

Technical Report · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:6269095

Matthaeus, W H; Goldstein, M L

Solar wind research and studies of charged particle propagation often assume that the interplanetary magnetic field represents a stationary random process. The extent to which ensemble averages of the solar wind magnetic fields follow the asymptotic behavior predicted by the ergodic theorem was investigated. Several time periods, including a span of nearly two years, are analyzed. Data intervals which span many solar rotations satisfy the conditions of weak stationarity if the effects of solar rotation are included in the asymptotic analysis. Shorter intervals which include a small integral number of interplanetary sectors also satisfy weak stationarity. The results are illustrated using magnetometer data from the ISEE-3, Voyager and IMP spacecraft.

• Research Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD (USA). Goddard Space Flight Center
• OSTI ID: 6269095
• Report Number(s): N-8311007; NASA-TM-83963
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640104* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Solar Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MECHANICS
RADIATIONS
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR RADIATION
SOLAR WIND
STELLAR RADIATION
TURBULENCE