An examination of the magnetic fluctuations in long-lasting radial IMF events

This study investigates long-lasting radial interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) intervals in which IMF points along the solar wind flow direction for several hours. We use 419 such events identified in Wind observations during 1995-2019, and we focus on the behavior of magnetic field fluctuations. Using the power spectral density (PSD) calculated over 1-hour radial IMF intervals and PSDs in adjacent regions prior to and after the radial IMF interval, we address: (i) the power of IMF fluctuations, (ii) median slopes of PSDs in both inertial and kinetic ranges, (iii) the proton temperature and its anisotropy, and (vi) the occurrence rate of wavy structures and their polarization. Comparison of PSDs in radial IMF intervals with those in prior and after them revealed that the fluctuation magnitude is low in the radial IMF intervals in both MHD and kinetic ranges and the spectral power increases with the cone angle in the MHD range. It may be related to the observation limitations because the dominant 2D component of the magnetic fluctuation is hard to observe if the sampling direction is aligned with the mean magnetic field. Moreover, the proton temperature is more isotropic, and the occurrence rate of wave structures is higher for radial IMF events. The waves have no preferred polarization in the frequency range from 0.1 to 1 Hz. It suggests that the radial IMF structure leads to a different development of turbulence than the typical Parker-spiral orientation.