The Characterization of Magnetic Structures in the Solar Wind Based On Turbulence

Abstract:

In the solar wind, MHD turbulence manifests itself differently in the varying wind types. These differences provide means for further distinction for classification of the winds as well as providing a new source for insight into other magnetic structures in the solar wind, namely the small-scale flux rope. Through analysis based on cross helicity and residual energy, two characteristics attributed to MHD turbulence, timeframes in which small-scale flux ropes were observed by ACE spacecraft in a study by Cartwright and Moldwin (2010) are broken into normalized frequency histograms representing periods in which the satellite passes through current sheets.