Mode Composition Shapes Magnetic Anisotropy in Solar Wind Turbulence
Fuente:
arXiv
Enregistré dans:
| Auteurs principaux: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2025
|
| Sujets: | |
| Accès en ligne: | |
| Tags: |
Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
|
| _version_ | 1866917126913130496 |
|---|---|
| author | Zhao, Siqi Yan, Huirong Liu, Terry Z. Hou, Chuanpeng |
| author_facet | Zhao, Siqi Yan, Huirong Liu, Terry Z. Hou, Chuanpeng |
| contents | Turbulence is a ubiquitous process that transfers energy across many spatial and temporal scales, thereby influencing particle transport and heating. Recent progress has improved our understanding of the anisotropy of turbulence with respect to the mean magnetic field; however, its exact form and implications for magnetic topology and energy transfer remain unclear. In this study, we investigate the nature of magnetic anisotropy in compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence within low-$β$ solar wind using measurements from the Cluster spacecraft. By decomposing small-amplitude fluctuations into Alfvén and compressible modes, we reveal that magnetic anisotropy is largely mode dependent: Alfvenic fluctuations are broadly distributed in propagation angle, whereas compressible fluctuations are concentrated near the quasi-parallel (slab) direction, a feature closely linked to collisionless damping of compressible modes. For $β\rightarrow0$, compressible modes become dominant within the slab component at smaller scales. These findings advance our understanding of magnetic anisotropy in solar wind turbulence and offer a new perspective on the three-dimensional turbulence cascade, with broad implications for particle transport, acceleration, and magnetic reconnection. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_25636 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Mode Composition Shapes Magnetic Anisotropy in Solar Wind Turbulence Zhao, Siqi Yan, Huirong Liu, Terry Z. Hou, Chuanpeng Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Plasma Physics Space Physics Turbulence is a ubiquitous process that transfers energy across many spatial and temporal scales, thereby influencing particle transport and heating. Recent progress has improved our understanding of the anisotropy of turbulence with respect to the mean magnetic field; however, its exact form and implications for magnetic topology and energy transfer remain unclear. In this study, we investigate the nature of magnetic anisotropy in compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence within low-$β$ solar wind using measurements from the Cluster spacecraft. By decomposing small-amplitude fluctuations into Alfvén and compressible modes, we reveal that magnetic anisotropy is largely mode dependent: Alfvenic fluctuations are broadly distributed in propagation angle, whereas compressible fluctuations are concentrated near the quasi-parallel (slab) direction, a feature closely linked to collisionless damping of compressible modes. For $β\rightarrow0$, compressible modes become dominant within the slab component at smaller scales. These findings advance our understanding of magnetic anisotropy in solar wind turbulence and offer a new perspective on the three-dimensional turbulence cascade, with broad implications for particle transport, acceleration, and magnetic reconnection. |
| title | Mode Composition Shapes Magnetic Anisotropy in Solar Wind Turbulence |
| topic | Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Plasma Physics Space Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.25636 |