Alfvenic turbulence in high-latitude solar wind: Is latitude a relevant parameter?

Plasma and magnetic field measurements by Ulysses during its first out-of-ecliptic orbit have allowed extensive investigations on the behavior of Alfvenic turbulence in high-latitude solar wind. Most analyses have shown that the turbulence evolution in high-latitude wind is radial, rather than latitudinal, in nature. However, a recent study based on magnetic field fluctuations has suggested that latitude might play a non negligible role. Here we further examine this possibility by using Elsasser's variables, that directly are related to the Alfvenic content of solar wind fluctuations. Our conclusion, supported by a comparison between polar and ecliptic observations, is that latitude does not appear to have an appreciable influence on the turbulence evolution in high-latitude solar wind.