1/ <i>f</i> noise in synthetic and solar wind data: superposition principles

ABSTRACT The interplanetary magnetic field exhibits a distinctive $1/f$ spectral density from frequencies of around $10^{-6}\, {\rm Hz}$ to around $10^{-4}\, {\rm Hz}$, ranging from harmonics of the solar rotation to the reciprocal of the turbulence correlation time in the spacecraft frame. Various theories have been proposed to explain its origin, typically invoking either processes in the lower corona or in the solar interior, or local interplanetary dynamics. Here, we investigate the superposition principle that underlies explanations of the solar/coronal types, which in principle can generate the full observed range of $1/f$ noise. Using synthetic time series with scale-invariant or lognormal distributions of correlation times, we examine the efficacy of several superposition approaches in generating a $1/f$ regime. The persistence of $1/f$ spectrum is further illustrated with decade-long in situ magnetic field measurements from the ACE spacecraft. Together, these results help explain the ubiquity of $1/f$ noise under the unavoidable superposition inherent in long-duration heliospheric data.