Two Types of $1/f$ Range in Solar Wind Turbulence

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Huang, Zesen, Velli, Marco, Chandran, B. D. G., Shi, Chen, Ding, Yuliang, Matteini, Lorenzo, Choi, Kyung-Eun
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Huang, Zesen
Velli, Marco
Chandran, B. D. G.
Shi, Chen
Ding, Yuliang
Matteini, Lorenzo
Choi, Kyung-Eun
author_facet Huang, Zesen
Velli, Marco
Chandran, B. D. G.
Shi, Chen
Ding, Yuliang
Matteini, Lorenzo
Choi, Kyung-Eun
contents The $1/f$ noise is a ubiquitous phenomenon in natural systems. Since the advent of space exploration, the $1/f$ range has been consistently observed in \textit{in situ} solar wind measurements throughout the heliosphere, sparking decades of debate regarding its origin. Recent Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations near the Alfvén surface have revealed a systematic absence of the $1/f$ range in pristine solar wind, providing a unique opportunity to investigate its origin in solar wind turbulence. Despite numerous observations of the $1/f$ range at varying frequencies, no study has systematically examined its properties across different solar wind conditions. Here, we identify two distinct types of $1/f$ ranges in solar wind turbulence: the fast/Alfvénic wind type and the slow/mixed wind type. The fast/Alfvénic type appears to be an intrinsic feature of Alfvénic turbulence, while the slow/mixed type resembles classical flicker noise. For the fast/Alfvénic type, we find a near-perfect WKB evolution of the frequency-averaged fluctuation amplitude and an intriguing migration pattern in frequency space. For the slow/mixed type, we examine the solar cycle dependence of the $1/f$ noise using the OMNI-LRO dataset spanning solar cycles 22 to 25. We also analyze the autocorrelation function of the magnetic field vectors and identify a clear relationship between the $1/f$ range and the decline in correlation, as well as unexpected resonance peaks in the autocorrelation function.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_17523
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Two Types of $1/f$ Range in Solar Wind Turbulence
Huang, Zesen
Velli, Marco
Chandran, B. D. G.
Shi, Chen
Ding, Yuliang
Matteini, Lorenzo
Choi, Kyung-Eun
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Plasma Physics
Space Physics
The $1/f$ noise is a ubiquitous phenomenon in natural systems. Since the advent of space exploration, the $1/f$ range has been consistently observed in \textit{in situ} solar wind measurements throughout the heliosphere, sparking decades of debate regarding its origin. Recent Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations near the Alfvén surface have revealed a systematic absence of the $1/f$ range in pristine solar wind, providing a unique opportunity to investigate its origin in solar wind turbulence. Despite numerous observations of the $1/f$ range at varying frequencies, no study has systematically examined its properties across different solar wind conditions. Here, we identify two distinct types of $1/f$ ranges in solar wind turbulence: the fast/Alfvénic wind type and the slow/mixed wind type. The fast/Alfvénic type appears to be an intrinsic feature of Alfvénic turbulence, while the slow/mixed type resembles classical flicker noise. For the fast/Alfvénic type, we find a near-perfect WKB evolution of the frequency-averaged fluctuation amplitude and an intriguing migration pattern in frequency space. For the slow/mixed type, we examine the solar cycle dependence of the $1/f$ noise using the OMNI-LRO dataset spanning solar cycles 22 to 25. We also analyze the autocorrelation function of the magnetic field vectors and identify a clear relationship between the $1/f$ range and the decline in correlation, as well as unexpected resonance peaks in the autocorrelation function.
title Two Types of $1/f$ Range in Solar Wind Turbulence
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Plasma Physics
Space Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.17523