Authors: Rayta Pradata (University of Delaware), William H. Matthaeus (University of Delaware)

In this project, I am exploring a few aspects of low frequency and wavenumber magnetic field energy spectra in the context of space physics, particularly in 2 separate projects. The first one pertains to an observation of 1/f frequency in the interplanetary magnetic field. These detections have been observed in-situ in distances 1AU, and 4-6 AU from the Sun (Matthaeus & Goldstein, 1986; Burlaga & Goldstein, 1984). The origin of this phenomena is still unknown, however the studies have suggested that these processes could be generated from scale-invariant processes in the corona or further within the dynamo of the Sun. In my project, I investigate the behavior of the 1/f frequency at closer distances to the Sun, particularly at Mercury’s orbit, using MESSENGER solar wind data (as in Pradata et al., 2025).

One of the paradigms that has been discussed (Matthaeus & Goldstein, 1982; Mullan, 1990) for achieving scale invariant structure is the merger of two dimensional or quasi-two dimensional magnetic flux tubes or flux ropes.  This may be particularly relevant in the corona. To further explore this connection, it becomes necessary to understand the size distribution and morphology of magnetic structures in two dimensional turbulence representations. These features of the magnetic field will be explored using methods described herein. These will be implemented using magnetic fields obtained from synthetic construction and 2D simulation.