| Literature DB >> 22861861 |
C H K Chen1, C S Salem, J W Bonnell, F S Mozer, S D Bale.
Abstract
We present a measurement of the spectral index of density fluctuations between ion and electron scales in solar wind turbulence using the EFI instrument on the ARTEMIS spacecraft. The mean spectral index at 1 AU was found to be -2.75±0.06, steeper than predictions for pure whistler or kinetic Alfvén wave turbulence but consistent with previous magnetic field measurements. The steep spectra are also consistent with expectations of increased intermittency or damping of some of the turbulent energy over this range of scales. Neither the spectral index nor the flattening of the density spectra before ion scales were found to depend on the proximity to the pressure anisotropy instability thresholds, suggesting that they are features inherent to the turbulent cascade.Year: 2012 PMID: 22861861 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.035001
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Phys Rev Lett ISSN: 0031-9007 Impact factor: 9.161