Application of the theory of Large-Scale Quantization to the inner heliosheath

Abstract

This paper addresses a remarkable feature of space plasmas that is related to their peculiar statistical behavior: The existence of a new quantization constant ∗, similar to the standard Planck's quantization constant , but 12 orders of magnitude larger. The standard quantization through the Planck constant may occur to individual particles, while the large- scale quantization through the new constant ∗ applies only to clusters of correlated particles. In space plasmas, the value of ∗ can be approximated by the division of the magnetosonic energy over the plasma frequency. Having the actual value of ∗ been determined, it can be further applied in space plasma datasets to derive unknown plasma parameters when some key observable is missing, such as the magnetic field strength. This application is tested with solar wind data in the inner heliosphere, where the magnetic field is known, and then it is employed in the inner heliosheath plasma to estimate the unknown local magnetic field.