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1. Characterization of Turbulent Fluctuations in the Sub-Alfvénic Solar Wind

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad34ab  

   Zank, G. P.; Zhao, L. -L.; Adhikari, L.; Telloni, D.; Baruwal, Prashant; Baruwal, Prashrit; Zhu, Xingyu; Nakanotani, M.; Pitňa, A.; Kasper, J. C.; et al (April 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observed sub-Alfvénic solar wind intervals during encounters 8–14, and low-frequency magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in these regions may differ from that in super-Alfvénic wind. We apply a new mode decomposition analysis to the sub-Alfvénic flow observed by PSP on 2021 April 28, identifying and characterizing entropy, magnetic islands, forward and backward Alfvén waves, including weakly/nonpropagating Alfvén vortices, forward and backward fast and slow magnetosonic (MS) modes. Density fluctuations are primarily and almost equally entropy- and backward-propagating slow MS modes. The mode decomposition provides phase information (frequency and wavenumberk) for each mode. Entropy density fluctuations have a wavenumber anisotropy ofk_∥≫k_⊥, whereas slow-mode density fluctuations havek_⊥>k_∥. Magnetic field fluctuations are primarily magnetic island modes (δBⁱ) with anO(1) smaller contribution from unidirectionally propagating Alfvén waves (δB^A+) giving a variance anisotropy of $〈{\delta B^i}^2〉/〈{\delta B^A}^2〉=4.1$. Incompressible magnetic fluctuations dominate compressible contributions from fast and slow MS modes. The magnetic island spectrum is Kolmogorov-like $k_{\perp }^{-1.6}$in perpendicular wavenumber, and the unidirectional Alfvén wave spectra are $k_{\parallel }^{-1.6}$and $k_{\perp }^{-1.5}$. Fast MS modes propagate at essentially the Alfvén speed with anticorrelated transverse velocity and magnetic field fluctuations and are almost exclusively magnetic due toβ_p≪ 1. Transverse velocity fluctuations are the dominant velocity component in fast MS modes, and longitudinal fluctuations dominate in slow modes. Mode decomposition is an effective tool in identifying the basic building blocks of MHD turbulence and provides detailed phase information about each of the modes. 

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2. Turbulence, Waves, and Taylor’s Hypothesis for Heliosheath Observations

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad64c8  

   Zhao, L-L; Zank, G P; Opher, M; Zieger, B; Li, H; Florinski, V; Adhikari, L; Zhu, X; Nakanotani, M (September 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract Magnetic field fluctuations measured in the heliosheath by the Voyager spacecraft are often characterized as compressible, as indicated by a strong fluctuating component parallel to the mean magnetic field. However, the interpretation of the turbulence data faces the caveat that the standard Taylor’s hypothesis is invalid because the solar wind flow velocity in the heliosheath becomes subsonic and slower than the fast magnetosonic speed, given the contributions from hot pickup ions (PUIs) in the heliosheath. We attempt to overcome this caveat by introducing a 4D frequency-wavenumber spectral modeling of turbulence, which is essentially a decomposition of different wave modes following their respective dispersion relations. Isotropic Alfvén and fast mode turbulence are considered to represent the heliosheath fluctuations. We also include two dispersive fast wave modes derived from a three-fluid theory. We find that (1) magnetic fluctuations in the inner heliosheath are less compressible than previously thought, an isotropic turbulence spectral model with about 25% in compressible fluctuation power is consistent with the observed magnetic compressibility in the heliosheath; (2) the hot PUI component and the relatively cold solar wind ions induce two dispersive fast magnetosonic wave branches in the perpendicular propagation limit, PUI fast wave may account for the spectral bump near the proton gyrofrequency in the observable spectrum; (3) it is possible that the turbulence wavenumber spectrum is not Kolmogorov-like although the observed frequency spectrum has a −5/3 power-law index, depending on the partitioning of power among the various wave modes, and this partitioning may change with wavenumber. 

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3. Turbulence and wave transmission at an ICME-driven shock observed by the Solar Orbiter and Wind

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202140450  

   Zhao, L.-L.; Zank, G. P.; He, J. S.; Telloni, D.; Hu, Q.; Li, G.; Nakanotani, M.; Adhikari, L.; Kilpua, E. K.; Horbury, T. S.; et al (December 2021, Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Aims. An interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) event was observed by the Solar Orbiter at 0.8 AU on 2020 April 19 and by Wind at 1 AU on 2020 April 20. Futhermore, an interplanetary shock wave was driven in front of the ICME. Here, we focus on the transmission of the magnetic fluctuations across the shock and we analyze the characteristic wave modes of solar wind turbulence in the vicinity of the shock observed by both spacecraft. Methods. The observed ICME event is characterized by a magnetic helicity-based technique. The ICME-driven shock normal was determined by magnetic coplanarity method for the Solar Orbiter and using a mixed plasma and field approach for Wind. The power spectra of magnetic field fluctuations were generated by applying both a fast Fourier transform and Morlet wavelet analysis. To understand the nature of waves observed near the shock, we used the normalized magnetic helicity as a diagnostic parameter. The wavelet-reconstructed magnetic field fluctuation hodograms were used to further study the polarization properties of waves. Results. We find that the ICME-driven shock observed by Solar Orbiter and Wind is a fast, forward oblique shock with a more perpendicular shock angle at the Wind position. After the shock crossing, the magnetic field fluctuation power increases. Most of the magnetic field fluctuation power resides in the transverse fluctuations. In the vicinity of the shock, both spacecraft observe right-hand polarized waves in the spacecraft frame. The upstream wave signatures fall within a relatively broad and low frequency band, which might be attributed to low frequency MHD waves excited by the streaming particles. For the downstream magnetic wave activity, we find oblique kinetic Alfvén waves with frequencies near the proton cyclotron frequency in the spacecraft frame. The frequency of the downstream waves increases by a factor of ∼7–10 due to the shock compression and the Doppler effect. 

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4. Observations of Waves and Structures by Frequency–Wavenumber Spectrum in Solar Wind Turbulence

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acb33b  

   Zhao, L.-L.; Zank, G. P.; Nakanotani, M.; Adhikari, L. (February 2023, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract A well-known shortcoming of single-spacecraft spectral analysis is that only the 1D wavenumber spectrum can be observed, assuming the characteristic wave propagation speed is much smaller than the solar wind flow speed. This limitation has motivated an extended debate about whether fluctuations observed in the solar wind are waves or structures. Multispacecraft analysis techniques can be used to calculate the wavevector independent of the observed frequency, thus allowing one to study the frequency–wavenumber spectrum of turbulence directly. The dispersion relation for waves can be identified, which distinguishes them from nonpropagating structures. We use magnetic field data from the four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft to measure the frequency–wavenumber spectrum of solar wind turbulence based on the k -filtering and phase differencing techniques. Both techniques have been used successfully in the past for the Earth’s magnetosphere, although applications to solar wind turbulence have been limited. We conclude that the solar wind turbulence intervals observed by MMS show features of nonpropagating structures that are associated with frequencies close to zero in the plasma rest frame. However, there is no clear evidence of propagating Alfvén waves that have a nonzero rest-frame frequency. The lack of waves may be due to instrument noise and spacecraft separation. Our results support the idea of turbulence dominated by quasi-2D structures. 

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5. Radial Evolution of MHD Turbulence Anisotropy in Low Mach Number Solar Wind

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada354  

   Zhu, Xingyu; Zank, Gary_P; Zhao, Lingling; Silwal, Ashok (January 2025, The Astrophysical Journal Letters)

   Abstract The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) and Wind spacecraft observed the same plasma flow during PSP encounter 15. The solar wind evolves from a sub-Alfvénic flow at 0.08 au to become modestly super-Alfvénic at 1 au. We study the radial evolution of the turbulence properties and deduce the spectral anisotropy based on the nearly incompressible (NI) MHD theory. We find that the spectral index of thez⁺spectrum remains unchanged (∼−1.53), while thez⁻spectrum steepens, the index of which changes from −1.35 to −1.47. The fluctuating kinetic energy is on average greater than the fluctuating magnetic field energy in the sub-Alfvénic flow while smaller in the modestly super-Alfvénic flow. The NI MHD theory well interprets the observed Elsässer spectra. The contribution of 2D fluctuations is nonnegligible for the observedz⁻frequency spectra for both intervals. Particularly, the magnitudes of 2D and NI/slab fluctuations are comparable in the frequency domain for the modestly super-Alfvénic flow, resulting in a slightly concave shape ofz⁻spectrum at 1 au. We show that, in the wavenumber domain, the power ratio of the observed forward NI/slab and 2D fluctuations is  ∼15 at 0.08 au, while it decreases to  ∼3 at 1 au, suggesting the growing significance of the 2D fluctuations as the turbulence evolves in low Mach number solar wind. 

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