On the origin of the 1/f spectrum in the solar wind magnetic field

TL;DR

This paper proposes a mechanism for the formation of the 1/f magnetic spectrum in the solar wind, based on turbulent cascade processes triggered by Alfvén wave reflection and propagation.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical model showing how turbulent cascades and wave reflection produce the observed double power-law spectrum in the solar wind magnetic field.

Findings

The model reproduces the 1/f spectrum at low frequencies.

The perpendicular spectrum follows a Kolmogorov -5/3 slope.

The spectrum exhibits a double power-law with slopes -1 and -2.

Abstract

We present a mechanism for the formation of the low frequency 1/f magnetic spectrum based on numerical solutions of a shell reduced-MHD model of the turbulent dynamics inside the sub-Alfv\'enic solar wind. We assign reasonably realistic profiles to the wind speed and the density along the radial direction, and a radial magnetic field. Alfv\'en waves of short periodicity (600 s) are injected at the base of the chromosphere, penetrate into the corona and are partially reflected, thus triggering a turbulent cascade. The cascade is strong for the reflected wave while it is weak for the outward propagating waves. Reflection at the transition region recycles the strong turbulent spectrum into the outward weak spectrum, which is advected beyond the Alfv\'enic critical point without substantial evolution. There, the magnetic field has a perpendicular power-law spectrum with slope close to the Kolmogorov -5/3. The parallel spectrum is inherited from the frequency spectrum of large (perpendicular) eddies. The shape is a double power-law with slopes of -1 and -2 at low and high frequencies respectively, the position of the break depending on the injected spectrum. We suggest that the double power-law spectrum measured by Helios at 0.3 AU, where the average magnetic field is not aligned with the radial (contrary to our assumptions) results from the combination of such different spectral slopes. At low frequency the parallel spectrum dominates with its characteristic 1/f shape, while at higher frequencies its steep spectral slope (-2) is masked by the more energetic perpendicular spectrum (slope -5/3).