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Luca Sorriso-Valvo

Publications and source records attributed to Luca Sorriso-Valvo.

43 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Observation of inertial energy cascade in interplanetary space plasma

We show in this article direct evidence for the presence of an inertial energy cascade, the most characteristic signature of hydromagnetic turbulence (MHD), in the solar wind as observed by the Ulysses spacecraft. After a brief rederivation of the equivalent of Yaglom's law for MHD turbulence, we show that a linear relation is indeed observed for the scaling of mixed third order structure functions involving Elsässer variables. This experimental result, confirming the prescription stemming from a theorem for MHD turbulence, firmly establishes the turbulent character of low-frequency velocity and magnetic field fluctuations in the solar wind plasma.

astro-ph↗

On the intermittent character of interplanetary magnetic field fluctuations

Interplanetary magnetic field magnitude fluctuations are notoriously more intermittent than velocity fluctuations in both fast and slow wind. This behaviour has been interpreted in terms of the anomalous scaling observed in passive scalars in fully developed hydrodynamic turbulence. In this paper, the strong intermittent nature of the interplanetary magnetic field is briefly discussed comparing results performed during different phases of the solar cycle. The scaling properties of the interplanetary magnetic field magnitude show solar cycle variation that can be distinguished in the scaling exponents revealed by structure functions. The scaling exponents observed around solar maximum coincide, within the errors, to those measured for passive scalars in hydrodynamic turbulence. However, it is also found that the values are not universal in the sense that the solar cycle variation may be reflected in dependence on the structure of the velocity field.

astro-ph↗

Reversals in nature and the nature of reversals

The asymmetric shape of reversals of the Earth's magnetic field indicates a possible connection with relaxation oscillations as they were early discussed by van der Pol. A simple mean-field dynamo model with a spherically symmetric $α$ coefficient is analysed with view on this similarity, and a comparison of the time series and the phase space trajectories with those of paleomagnetic measurements is carried out. For highly supercritical dynamos a very good agreement with the data is achieved. Deviations of numerical reversal sequences from Poisson statistics are analysed and compared with paleomagnetic data. The role of the inner core is discussed in a spectral theoretical context and arguments and numerical evidence is compiled that the growth of the inner core might be important for the long term changes of the reversal rate and the occurrence of superchrons.

physics.geo-ph↗

Persistence of small-scale anisotropy of magnetic turbulence as observed in the solar wind

The anisotropy of magnetophydrodynamic turbulence is investigated by using solar wind data from the Helios 2 spacecraft. We investigate the behaviour of the complete high-order moment tensors of magnetic field increments and we compare the usual longitudinal structure functions which have both isotropic and anisotropic contributions, to the fully anisotropic contribution. Scaling exponents have been extracted by an interpolation scaling function. Unlike the usual turbulence in fluid flows, small-scale magnetic fluctuations remain anisotropic. We discuss the radial dependence of both anisotropy and intermittency and their relationship.

physics.space-ph↗

Non Poisson intermittent events in price formation

The formation of price in a financial market is modelled as a chain of Ising spin with three fundamental figures of trading. We investigate the time behaviour of the model, and we compare the results with the real EURO/USD change rate. By using the test of local Poisson hypothesis, we show that this minimal model leads to clustering and "declustering" in the volatility signal, typical of the real market data.

physics.data-an↗

One-point statistics and intermittency of induced electric field in the solar wind

The interplanetary induced electric field e=vxb is studied, using solar wind time series. The probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the electric field components are measured from the data and their non-gaussianity is discussed. Moreover, for the first time we show that the electric field turbulence is characterized by intermittency. This point is addressed by studying, as usual, the scaling of the PDFs of field increments, which allows a quantitative characterization of intermittency.

physics.space-ph↗

Intermittency in the solar wind turbulence through probability distribution functions of fluctuations

Intermittency in fluid turbulence can be emphasized through the analysis of Probability Distribution Functions (PDF) for velocity fluctuations, which display a strong non-gaussian behavior at small scales. Castaing et al. (1990) have introduced the idea that this behavior can be represented, in the framework of a multiplicative cascade model, by a convolution of gaussians whose variances is distributed according to a log-normal distribution. In this letter we have tried to test this conjecture on the MHD solar wind turbulence by performing a fit of the PDF of the bulk speed and magnetic field intensity fluctuations calculated in the solar wind, with the model. This fit allows us to calculate a parameter depending on the scale, which represents the width of the log-normal distribution of the variances of the gaussians. The physical implications of the obtained values of the parameter as well as of its scaling law are finally discussed

physics.plasm-ph↗