An investigation into instrumental nonlinear effects

High order spectral techniques are one of the most powerful tools for the identification of non-linear processes in space plasma turbulence. Without such tools it is impossible to determine, for example, the occurrence of non-linear interactions between spectral components. However, since the observations made by an instrument involve some internal processing, it is possible that non-linearities may arise from within the instrument itself rather than in the plasma. The possibility of such effects are investigated using data resulting from tests carried out using the Cluster Wideband electric field instrument.