Magnetic field directional discontinuities. I - Minimum variance errors

The paper deals with a statistical analysis of the errors associated with a minimum variance analysis of directional discontinuities by use of an idealized model of these discontinuities and various simulations, and also by an examination of actual Mariner 10 interplanetary magnetic field data. An empirical expression is derived for the magnitude of the error in an estimated discontinuity normal component, relative to the total field across the directional discontinuity. The analysis was performed primarily to aid in differentiating between interplanetary tangential and rotational discontinuities observed by Mariner 10.