2024/09/21 by Bandyopadhyay, Riddi, J. M. Weygand, Sarlis, Nicolas V. +7 · 1 citation
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Complex Systems and Time Series Analysis #FOS: Physical sciences #Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph) #Space Physics (physics.space-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2409.13991
openalex publication_date 2024/09/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Turbulence is a prevalent phenomenon in space and astrophysical plasmas, often characterized by stochastic fluctuations. While laboratory experiments and numerical simulations have revealed chaotic behavior, in-situ observations of turbulent plasmas in natural environments have predominantly shown highly stochastic signatures. Here, we present unprecedented in-situ evidence of chaotic fluctuations in the turbulent solar wind plasma downstream of the Earth's bow shock. By analyzing the relative location of magnetic-field fluctuations on the permutation entropy-complexity plane (C-H plane), we demonstrate that turbulence in the magnetosheath plasma exhibits characteristics of chaotic fluctuations rather than stochastic behavior, diverging from the expected traits of well-developed turbulence. This finding challenges established notions of plasma turbulence and reveals the need for caution when using the magnetosheath as a laboratory for studying plasma turbulence.