In Situ Measurement of Curvature of Magnetic Field in Turbulent Space Plasmas: A Statistical Study

Using in situ data, accumulated in the turbulent magnetosheath by the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, we report a statistical study of magnetic field curvature and discuss its role in the turbulent space plasmas. Consistent with previous simulation results, the probability distribution function of the curvature is shown to have distinct power-law tails for both high and low value limits. We find that the magnetic-field-line curvature is intermittently distributed in space. High curvature values reside near weak magnetic-field regions, while low curvature values are correlated with small magnitude of the force acting normal to the field lines. A simple statistical treatment provides an explanation for the observed curvature distribution. This novel statistical characterization of magnetic curvature in space plasma provides a starting point for assessing, in a turbulence context, the applicability and impact of particle energization processes, such as curvature drift, that rely on this fundamental quantity.