Multipoint Measurements for Analysis of Physical Fields

Multipoint measurements offer a powerful framework for dissecting spatiotemporal dynamics in physical fields, particularly in plasma environments. This presentation, tailored to the Cluster-Plasma Observatory Workshop, emphasises applications in ionospheric and magnetospheric studies, with a focus on Cluster mission data.

Notable uses include characterising field structure size and orientation. Ionospheric irregularities have been mapped via GNSS total electron content and LOFAR radio observations . In the magnetosphere, Cluster measurements near the bow shock have revealed nonlinear magnetic structures, demonstrating transferability to vector field deformations.

Drift velocities are derived using correlation and spectral spaced-antenna methods . Drift dispersion follows from scintillation analysis, while Cluster configurations enable wave arrival direction estimation. These techniques also quantify inter-scale energy flows, advancing plasma turbulence models.

Multipoint analysis thus underpins Cluster's legacy in plasma physics, informing space weather and field modeling.