Spectral Indices and Evidence of Wave-Wave Modulation in Observations of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field

We present wave and turbulence observations by the DSCOVR spacecraft during solar flare and CME events. Over 9-day period, the spectral indices within the magnetic field power spectral density (PSD) in the RTN and mean-field-aligned (MFA) coordinates do not agree. In the inertial range the transverse PSD follows a Kraichnan–Iroshinikov -3/2 index when in MFA coordinates, while in the RTN frame the same PSD is more complex showing Kolmogorov -5/3 index at lower frequencies followed by a shallow index close to -1 at the inertial subrange before steepening to -2 close to the He+ cyclotron frequency. We show that the differences are due to the changing interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) direction relative to the solar wind velocity within the CME periods. We present evidence of wave-wave modulation and suggest that lower frequency waves in the solar wind can modulate the growth rates/propagation of ion cyclotron waves providing a method to transfer energy in the solar wind to smaller scales. Furthermore, we suggest that the Kraichnan–Iroshinikov -3/2 index in the inertial range can be explained by combining containment due to wave generation/propagation and stochastic Brownian motion in the solar wind. When these two phenomena are equal, they combine to create a -3/2 index.