Anisotropy of Imbalanced Alfvénic Turbulence in Fast Solar Wind

R. T. Wicks, T. S. Horbury, C. H. K. Chen, and A. A. Schekochihin
Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 045001 – Published 24 January 2011

Abstract

We present the first measurement of the scale-dependent power anisotropy of Elsasser variables in imbalanced fast solar wind turbulence. The dominant Elsasser mode is isotropic at lower spacecraft frequencies but becomes increasingly anisotropic at higher frequencies. The subdominant mode is anisotropic throughout. There are two distinct subranges exhibiting different scalings within what is normally considered the inertial range. The low Alfvén ratio and the different scaling of the Elsasser modes suggests an interpretation of the observed discrepancy between the velocity and magnetic field scalings, the total energy is dominated by the latter. These results do not appear to be fully explained by any of the current theories of incompressible imbalanced MHD turbulence.

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  • Received 13 September 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.045001

© 2011 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

R. T. Wicks1,*, T. S. Horbury1, C. H. K. Chen1, and A. A. Schekochihin2

  • 1Space and Atmospheric Physics Group, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
  • 2Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3NP, United Kingdom

  • *r.wicks@imperial.ac.uk

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Vol. 106, Iss. 4 — 28 January 2011

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