Dimensional analysis of observed structures using multipoint magnetic field measurements: Application to Cluster

Abstract

A new method is described to analyze the dimensional character of observed structures using multipoint magnetic field measurements of four or more spacecraft. The technique can provide three directions along which the magnetic field has the minimum, intermediate, and maximum derivatives if the magnetic gradient tensor G = ∇ at every moment has been estimated by multipoint measurements. It follows that the structure's dimensionality and the variation direction can be directly determined. Both Cluster observations and simulations have shown that it is feasible to obtain the invariant axis orientation for two‐dimensional structures such as flux tubes, and to find the normal directions for one‐dimensional structures such as discontinuities. One advantage of this method is that these directions can be determined instantaneously, point by point in the time series, and so can be tracked through each observed structure. The analysis tool provides us a new perspective of the observed structures in the space.