HR: 1340h
AN: SM43A-1211    [Abstracts]
TI: In Situ Detection of Coherent Vortices as a Manifestation of Alfvenic Turbulence
AU: * Sundkvist, D
EM: davids@irfu.se
AF: Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement, CNRS, 3A, Avenue de la recherche scientifique, Orleans, 45071 France
AU: * Sundkvist, D
EM: davids@irfu.se
AF: Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Box 537, Uppsala, SE-751 21 Sweden
AU: Krasnoselskikh, V
EM: vkrasnos@cnrs-orleans.fr
AF: Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement, CNRS, 3A, Avenue de la recherche scientifique, Orleans, 45071 France
AU: Shukla, P K
EM: ps@tp4.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
AF: Institut fr Theoretische Physik IV, Ruhr-Universitt Bochum, Bochum, D-44780 Germany
AU: Vaivads, A
EM: andris@irfu.se
AF: Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Box 537, Uppsala, SE-751 21 Sweden
AU: Andr, M
EM: ma@irfu.se
AF: Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Box 537, Uppsala, SE-751 21 Sweden
AU: Buchert, S
EM: scb@irfu.se
AF: Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Box 537, Uppsala, SE-751 21 Sweden
AU: Rme, H
SM43A-1211 AF: Centre d'Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements, 9, avenue du Colonel Roche, Toulouse, 31029 France
AB: It is generally believed that spatially coherent vortex structures can spontaneously form in space and laboratory turbulent plasmas due to mode couplings of different scale perturbations. Although theoretical predictions on their properties are numerous, direct detailed measurements of such structures in turbulent plasmas have been absent. We unambiguously show for the first time the existence of spatially coherent drift-Alfvén vortices and vortex chains in a turbulent space plasma, using simultaneous multi-point measurements of the Cluster satellites in the magnetospheric cusp. Moreover we present clear indications that vortex structures exist on several spatial scales. The vortices represent ``elementary entities" of drift-Alfvén wave turbulence in magnetized plasmas and their presence has far-reaching implications on turbulent cross-field transport.
DE: 4400 NONLINEAR GEOPHYSICS (3200, 6944, 7839)
DE: 4490 Turbulence (3379, 4568, 7863)
DE: 7829 Kinetic waves and instabilities
DE: 7859 Transport processes
DE: 7863 Turbulence (4490)
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005