Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

High-speed Particle Image Velocimetry Near Surfaces
Published on: June 24, 2013
Scale-free texture of the fast solar wind
B Hnat1, S C Chapman, G Gogoberidze
1Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics, Physics Department, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
The higher-order statistics of magnetic field magnitude fluctuations in the fast quiet solar wind are quantified systematically, scale by scale. We find a single global non-Gaussian scale-free behavior from minutes to over 5 h. This spans the signature of an inertial range of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and a ~1/f range in magnetic field components. This global scaling in field magnitude fluctuations is an intrinsic component of the underlying texture of the solar wind and puts a strong constraint on any theory of solar corona and the heliosphere. Intriguingly, the magnetic field and velocity components show scale-dependent dynamic alignment outside of the inertial range.
Related Concept Videos
Fast Fourier Transform
The computational efficiency of the FFT becomes...
Fluid Pressure over Flat Plate of Variable Width
The pressure distribution on the plate can be calculated by determining the force that acts on a differential area strip of the plate. Thus, the magnitude of the force is equal to the...
Magnetic Field Lines
Magnetic field lines follow several hard-and-fast rules:
Turbulent Flow
Magnetostatic Boundary Conditions
Speed of a Transverse Wave
One of the key properties of any wave is the wave speed. Light...

