Magnetic Turbulence Associated with Magnetic Dipolarizations in the Near-Tail of the Earth's Magnetosphere: Test of Anisotropy

Abstract

In this paper, the anisotropic nature of the magnetic turbulence associated with magnetic dipolarizations in the Earth's plasma sheet is examined. Specifically, we determine the power spectral indices for the perpendicular and parallel components of the fluctuating magnetic field with respect to the background magnetic field, and compare them in order to identify possible anisotropic features. For this study, we identify a total of 47 dipolarization events in February 2008 using the magnetic field data observed by the THEMIS A, D and E satellites when they are situated near the neutral sheet in the near-Earth tail. For the identified events, we estimate the spectral indices for the frequency range from 1.3 mHz to 42 mHz. The results show that the degree of anisotropy, as defined by the ratio of the spectral index of the perpendicular components to that of the parallel component, can range from ~0.2 to ~2.6, and there are more events associated with the ratio greater than unity (i.e., the perpendicular index being greater than the parallel index) than those which are anisotropic in the opposite sense. This implies that the dipolarization-associated turbulence of the magnetic field is often anisotropic, to some non-negligible degree. We then discuss how this result differs from what the theory of homogeneous, anisotropic, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence would predict.