Physical Interpretation of the Angle Dependent Magnetic Helicity Spectrum in the Solar Wind: The Nature of Turbulent Fluctuations near the Proton Gyroradius Scale

Abstract

Motivated by recent observations of distinct parallel and perpendicular signatures in magnetic helicity measurements segregated by wave period and angle between the local magnetic field and the solar wind velocity, this paper undertakes a comparison of three intervals of \emph{Ulysses} data with synthetic time series generated from a physically motivated turbulence model. From these comparisons, it is hypothesized that the observed signatures result from a perpendicular cascade of \Alfvenic fluctuations and a local, non-turbulent population of ion cyclotron or whistler waves generated by temperature anisotropy instabilities. By constraining the model's free parameters through comparison to \emph{in situ} data, it is found that, on average, $\sim 95\%$ of the power near dissipative scales is contained in a perpendicular \Alfvenic cascade and that the parallel fluctuations are propagating nearly unidirectionally. The effects of aliasing on magnetic helicity measurements are considered and shown to be significant near the Nyquist frequency.

26 Pages, 9 figures; Accepted for Publication in the Astrophysical Journal

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• Anisotropic scaling of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
• Kinetic Simulations of Magnetized Turbulence in Astrophysical Plasmas
• Imbalanced Strong MHD Turbulence
• Role of cross helicity in magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
• Strong Imbalanced Turbulence
• Strong Anisotropic MHD Turbulence with Cross Helicity
• Inertial range turbulence in kinetic plasmas

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• The Radial Dependence of Proton-scale Magnetic Spectral Break in Slow Solar Wind during PSP Encounter 2
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• The Ion Transition Range of Solar Wind Turbulence in the Inner Heliosphere: Parker Solar Probe Observations
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• Observational evidence for solar wind proton heating by ion-scale turbulence
• Intermittency and Ion Temperature-Anisotropy Instabilities: Simulation and Magnetosheath Observation
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