Small-Scale Plasma Fluctuations in Fast and Slow Solar Wind Streams

Abstract

This study gives a comparison of characteristics of small-scale ion flux fluctuations based on measurements of the SPEKTR-R spacecraft in slow and fast solar wind streams. Fast quasi-stationary streams and fast disturbed streams, associated with transient phenomena in the solar corona, are considered separately. The use of high-time-resolution data from the Bright Monitor of Solar Wind (BMSW) instrument makes it possible to analyze plasma fluctuations in a wide range of scales, including small scales, where kinetic effects can make a significant contribution. It is shown in the study that the nature of small-scale fluctuations can significantly differ in fast streams with the same mean solar wind velocity but having a different nature.