Turbulence, the Solar Wind, and Correlation Analysis

W.H. Matthaeus
Bartol Research Institute
University of Delaware

ABSTRACT:
The solar wind, a high speed flow of electrically conducting ionized gas, a plasma, pervades interplanetary space. Its properties are highly fluctuating and are reminiscent of more familiar hydrodynamic turbulence. However, its distinctive electrodynamic character is responsible for important space physics effects such as the scattering of galactic cosmic rays and the heating of the solar wind. By controlling the transport of solar energetic particles, solar wind turbulence is a key element in controlling "space weather" and radiation hazards that impact both robotic and human presence in space. To understand solar wind turbulence, its statistical properties must be evaluated and understood. This study leads to several interesting extensions of time series and correlation analysis, which are discussed in the present lecture.