Ensemble Space-Time Correlation of Plasma Turbulence in the Solar Wind

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Abstract
Single point measurement turbulence cannot distinguish variations in space and time. We employ an ensemble of one- and two-point measurements in the solar wind to estimate the space-time correlation function in the comoving plasma frame. The method is illustrated using near Earth spacecraft observations, employing ACE, Geotail, IMP-8, and Wind data sets. New results include an evaluation of both correlation time and correlation length from a single method, and a new assessment of the accuracy of the familiar frozen-in flow approximation. This novel view of the space-time structure of turbulence may prove essential in exploratory space missions such as Solar Probe Plus and Solar Orbiter for which the frozen-in flow hypothesis may not be a useful approximation.
Funding Information
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNX15AB88G, NNX14AI63G)
  • National Science Foundation (AGS-1063439, AGS-1155841, AGS-156094)
  • Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (PICT-2013-1462)
  • Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica
  • Southwest Research Institute (D99031L)

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