Physics – Geophysics
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsh43c1964l&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SH43C-1964
Physics
Geophysics
[2169] Interplanetary Physics / Solar Wind Sources, [4490] Nonlinear Geophysics / Turbulence
Scientific paper
Most of the solar quiescent prominences (QPs) observed by the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) on board Hinode exhibit highly variable dynamics suggestive of turbulence [1]. Unlike in-situ spacecraft measurements, these QPs offer an opportunity to test statistical measures of turbulence in both space and time. We focus on one of these QPs by analysing images in the Calcium II H-line that cover a sufficient range of scales spatially ( ˜ 0.1-100 arc seconds) and temporally ( ˜ 16.8 s- 4.5 hrs) to allow the application of statistical methods generally used to quantify finite range fluid turbulence. We present such techniques applied for the first time to the spatial intensity field of the QP's flow. Fully evolved inertial range turbulence in an infinite medium has the statistical property of multifractal scale invariance, which implies power law power spectra and scaling of the higher order moments (structure functions) in the non-Gaussian statistics of the fluctuating quantities that characterize the system. Fluctuations δ I(r,L)=I(r+L)-I(r) on lengthscale L along a given direction in observed spatial field I, have indeed moments that scale as <δ I(r,L)p> ˜ Lζ (p). A generalized scale invariance, or Eextended Self-Similarity (ESS), is instead recovered for turbulent systems of finite size - i.e. in the quiet solar wind [2]- for which the dependence on a single robust scaling function G(L) has been observed such that <δ I(r,L)p> ˜ G(L)ζ (p). We find that the QP intensity measurements are well described by non-Gaussian statistics and show power law power spectra. We also find ESS and the generalized scaling for the intesity fluctuations δ I(r,L). Finally, we use ESS to obtain ratios of the scaling exponents ζ (p), which are consistent with a multifractal field. The statistical properties found for the intensity fluctuations in the QP are therefore in agreement with those ones expected for finite sized turbulent systems supporting the idea of the turbulent nature of the prominence flow. [1] T. E. Berger et al., Quiescent prominence dynamics observed with the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope. I. Turbulent upflow plumes, Ap. J., 716 1288-1307 (2010) [2] S. C. Chapman, R. M. Nicol, E. Leonardis, K. Kiyani, V. Carbone, Observation of universality in the generalized similarity of evolving solar wind turbulence as seen by ULYSSES, Ap. J. Letters, 695, L185, (2009)
Chapman Sandra C.
Foullon Claire
Leonardis Ersilia
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