Test of magnetic turbulence anisotropy associated with magnetic dipolarizations

The anisotropic nature of the magnetic turbulence associated with magnetic dipolarizations in the Earth's plasma sheet is examined. Specifically we determine the power spectral indices for the perpendicular and parallel components of the fluctuating magnetic field with respect to the background magnetic field and compare them to determine possible anisotropic features. For this study, we identify a total of 47 dipolarization events from February 2008 using the magnetic field observations by the THEMIS A, D and E satellites when they are situated closely near the neutral sheet in the near-Earth tail. For the identified events, we estimate the spectral indices for the frequency range from 1.3 mHz to 42 mHz. The results show that for many events the spectral indices are larger for fluctuations in the ${\Psi}$ direction than for those in the other two directions, where the ${\Psi}$ direction is perpendicular to the background magnetic field line and to the azimuthal direction. This implies that the dipolarization-associated turbulence of the magnetic field is often anisotropic. We discuss how this result differs from what is expected from the theory of homogeneous, anisotropic, MHD turbulence.