Factors controlling degree of correlation between ISEE 1 and ISEE 3 interplanetary magnetic field measurements

The degree of correlation between ISEE 1 and ISEE 3 IMF measurements is highly Variable. Approximately 200 two-hour periods when the correlation was good and 200 more when the correlation was poor are used to determine the relative control of several factors over the degree of correlation. Both IMF variance and spacecraft separation distance in the plane perpendicular to the earth-sun line exert substantial control. Good correlations are associated with high variance and distances less than 90 RE. During periods of highest variance, good correlations occur at distances beyond 90 RE up to 120 RE, the maximum range of ISEE 1-ISEE 3 separation. Thus it appears that the scale size of magnetic features is larger when the variance is high. Abrupt changes in the correlation coefficient from poor to good or good to poor in adjacent two-hour intervals appear to be governed by the sense of change of IMF variance: changes in correlation from poor to good correspond to increasing variance and vice versa. The IMF orientation also exerts control over the degree of correlation. During periods of low variance, good correlations are most likely to occur when the distance between ISEE 1 and ISEE 3 perpendicular to the IMF is less than 20 RE. This scale size expands to ∼50 RE during periods of high variance. Solar wind speed shows little control over the degree of correlation in the speed range 300–500 km/s.