Turbulence, Waves, and Taylor's Hypothesis for Heliosheath Observations

TL;DR

This study models turbulence in the heliosheath using a 4D spectral approach to interpret Voyager data, revealing less compressible magnetic fluctuations and the influence of pickup ions on wave modes, challenging previous assumptions.

Contribution

Introduces a 4D spectral turbulence model considering multiple wave modes to better interpret heliosheath magnetic fluctuations and turbulence characteristics.

Findings

Magnetic fluctuations are less compressible than previously thought.

Pickup ions induce dispersive fast wave modes affecting the spectrum.

Turbulence spectrum may deviate from Kolmogorov-like behavior depending on wave mode distribution.

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 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 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 Alfven 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 1/4 in compressible fluctuation power is consistent with the observed magnetic compressibility in the heliosheath; (2) the hot pickup ion component and the relatively cold solar wind ions induce two dispersive fast magnetosonic wave branches in the perpendicular propagation limit. Pickup ion 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.