The Evolution of the 1/f Range within a Single Fast-solar-wind Stream between 17.4 and 45.7 Solar Radii

Abstract

The power spectrum of magnetic field fluctuations in the fast solar wind ( V _SW > 500 km s ^−1 ) at magnetohydrodynamic scales is characterized by two different power laws on either side of a break frequency f _b . The low-frequency range at frequencies f smaller than f _b is often viewed as the energy reservoir that feeds the turbulent cascade at f > f _b . At heliocentric distances r exceeding 60 solar radii ( R _s ), the power spectrum often has a 1/ f scaling at f < f _b , i.e., the spectral index is close to −1. In this study, measurements from the Parker Solar Probe's Encounter 10 with the Sun are used to investigate the evolution of the magnetic field power spectrum at f < f _b at r < 60 R _s during a fast radial scan of a single fast-solar-wind stream. We find that the spectral index in the low-frequency part of the spectrum decreases from approximately −0.61 to −0.94 as r increases from 17.4 to 45.7 R _s . Our results suggest that the 1/ f spectrum that is often seen at large r in the fast solar wind is not produced at the Sun, but instead develops dynamically as the wind expands outward from the corona into the interplanetary medium.

Keywords

• Magnetohydrodynamics
• Solar wind
• Interplanetary turbulence