Solar wind turbulence refers to the
complex, chaotic fluid motions and magnetic field fluctuations observed in the
solar wind
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released from the Sun's outermost atmospheric layer, the Stellar corona, corona. This Plasma (physics), plasma mostly consists of electrons, protons and alpha particles with kinetic energy betwee ...
plasma as it flows outward from the Sun. This turbulence plays a key role in heating the solar wind and accelerating charged particles throughout the heliosphere.
Solar wind turbulence displays both magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and kinetic plasma behaviors. It exhibits Kolmogorov-like power spectra at fluid scales, and shows strong Alfvénic correlations between velocity and magnetic field fluctuations, especially in fast solar wind. It evolves with distance from the Sun as the wind expands.
The turbulence can be broadly categorized into:
*Large-scale Alfvénic fluctuations originating from the Sun
*Actively evolving turbulent cascade transferring energy to smaller scales
*Small-scale kinetic processes where the fluid approximation breaks down
Observations from spacecraft like
Helios
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; ; Homeric Greek: ) is the god who personification, personifies the Sun. His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyperion ("the one above") an ...
,
Ulysses
Ulysses is the Latin name for Odysseus, a legendary Greek hero recognized for his intelligence and cunning. He is famous for his long, adventurous journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, as narrated in Homer's Odyssey.
Ulysses may also refer ...
, and
Wind
Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...
have revealed that solar wind turbulence properties vary between:
*Fast vs. slow solar wind streams
*Different heliographic latitudes
*Various distances from the Sun
Current research focuses on the relative roles of waves vs. structures, evolution of turbulent properties with solar wind expansion, and kinetic processes at small scales where energy dissipates.
Further reading
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References
Plasma phenomena
Sun
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