Meter-scale Observations of Equatorial Plasma Turbulence
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866908402132713472 |
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| author | Ivarsen, Magnus F Clausen, Lasse B N Jin, Yaqi Park, Jaeheung |
| author_facet | Ivarsen, Magnus F Clausen, Lasse B N Jin, Yaqi Park, Jaeheung |
| contents | The multi-Needle Langmuir Probe collects an electron current through four fixed-bias cylindrical copper needles. This allows for an extremely high sampling frequency, with plasma properties being inferred through polynomial fitting in the current-voltage plane. We present initial results from such a multi-needle probe mounted on the International Space Station, orbiting Earth at an altitude of around 400 km. That altitude, and its orbital inclination (~50 degrees), place the ISS as a suitable platform for observing equatorial plasma bubbles. In case studies of such turbulent structuring of the F-region plasma, we observe density timeseries that conserve considerable detail at virtually every level of magnification down to its Nyquist scale of 2-5 meters. We present power spectral density estimates of the turbulent structuring found inside equatorial plasma bubbles, and we discuss apparent break-points at scale-sizes between 1 m and 300 m, which we interpret in the light of turbulent dissipation as kilometer-scale swirls produced by the gradient-drift instability dissipate in the plasma. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_08665 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Meter-scale Observations of Equatorial Plasma Turbulence Ivarsen, Magnus F Clausen, Lasse B N Jin, Yaqi Park, Jaeheung Space Physics Plasma Physics The multi-Needle Langmuir Probe collects an electron current through four fixed-bias cylindrical copper needles. This allows for an extremely high sampling frequency, with plasma properties being inferred through polynomial fitting in the current-voltage plane. We present initial results from such a multi-needle probe mounted on the International Space Station, orbiting Earth at an altitude of around 400 km. That altitude, and its orbital inclination (~50 degrees), place the ISS as a suitable platform for observing equatorial plasma bubbles. In case studies of such turbulent structuring of the F-region plasma, we observe density timeseries that conserve considerable detail at virtually every level of magnification down to its Nyquist scale of 2-5 meters. We present power spectral density estimates of the turbulent structuring found inside equatorial plasma bubbles, and we discuss apparent break-points at scale-sizes between 1 m and 300 m, which we interpret in the light of turbulent dissipation as kilometer-scale swirls produced by the gradient-drift instability dissipate in the plasma. |
| title | Meter-scale Observations of Equatorial Plasma Turbulence |
| topic | Space Physics Plasma Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08665 |