Embedded coherent structures from MHD to sub-ion scales in turbulent solar wind: PSP observations at 0.17 au

We study intermittent coherent structures in solar wind magnetic turbulence from MHD to kinetic plasma scales using  Parker Solar Probe data during its first perihelion (at 0.17 au). These structures are energetic events localized in time and covering wide range of scales. We detect them using Morlet wavelets. For the first time, we apply a multi-scale analyses in physical space to study these structures. At large MHD scales, we find (i) current sheets including switchback boundaries and (ii) Alfvén vortices. Within these large scale events, there are  embedded structures at smaller scales: typically  Alfvén vortices at ion scales and a compressible vortices at sub-ion scales. To quantify the relative importance of different type of structures, we do a statistical comparison of the observed structures with the expectations of models of the current sheets and vortices. This comparison is based on amplitude anisotropy of magnetic fluctuations within the structures. The results show the dominance of Alfvén vortices at all scales in contrast to the widespread view of dominance of current sheets. The number of coherent structures grows from the MHD to the sub-ion scales. For one MHD scale structure there are ∼10 ion scale structures and ∼50  sub-ion scale structures. In general, there are multiple structures of ion and sub-ion scales embedded within one MHD structure. There are also examples of non-embedded structures at ion and sub-ion scales.