Multipoint study of interplanetary shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco-Cano, Xochitl; Kajdic, Primoz; Russell, Christopher T.; Aguilar-Rodriguez, Ernesto; Jian, Lan K.; Luhmann, Janet G.

2016-04-01

Interplanetary (IP) shocks are driven in the heliosphere by Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections (ICMEs) and Stream Interaction Regions (SIRs). These shocks perturb the solar wind plasma, and play an active role in the acceleration of ions to suprathermal energies. Shock fronts evolve as they move from the Sun. Their surfaces can be far from uniform and be modulated by changes in the ambient solar wind (magnetic field orientation, flow velocity), shocks rippling, and perturbations upstream and downstream from the shocks, i.e., electromagnetic waves. In this work we use multipoint observations from STEREO, WIND, and MESSENGER missions to study shock characteristics at different helio-longitudes and determine the properties of the waves near them. We also determine shock longitudinal extensions and foreshock sizes. The variations of geometry along the shock surface can result in different extensions of the wave and ion foreshocks ahead of the shocks, and in different wave modes upstream and downtream of the shocks. We find that the ion foreshock can extend up to 0.2 AU ahead of the shock, and that the upstream region with modified solar wind/waves can be very asymmetric.

ISEE 3 observations of low-energy proton bidirectional events and their relation to isolated interplanetary magnetic structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marsden, R. G.; Sanderson, T. R.; Tranquille, C.; Wenzel, K.-P.; Smith, E. J.

1987-01-01

The paper represents the results of a comprehensive survey of low-energy proton bidirectional anisotropies and associated transient magnetic structures as observed in the 35-1600 keV energy range on ISEE-3 during the last solar maximum. The majority of observed bidirectional flow (BDF) events (more than 70 percent) are associated with isolated magnetic structures which are postulated to be an interplanetary manifestation of coronal mass ejection (CME) events. The observed BDF events can be qualitatively grouped into five classes depending on the field signature of the related magnetic structure and the association (or lack of association) with an interplanetary shock. Concerning the topology of the CME-related magnetic structures, the observations are interpreted as being consistent with a detached bubble, comprising closed loops or tightly wound helices.

Bi-directional streaming of solar wind electrons greater than 80 eV - ISEE evidence for a closed-field structure within the driver gas of an interplanetary shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bame, S. J.; Asbridge, J. R.; Feldman, W. C.; Gosling, J. T.; Zwickl, R. D.

1981-01-01

In near time coincidence with the arrival of helium enriched plasma driving the shock wave disturbance of November 12-13, 1978, strong bi-directional streaming of solar wind electrons greater than about 80 eV was observed with Los Alamos instrumentation on ISEE 3. The streaming persisted for many hours simultaneously parallel and anti-parallel to the interplanetary magnetic field which was directed roughly perpendicular to the sun-satellite line. This example of bidirectional streaming cannot be explained by field line connection to the earth's bow shock or the outward propagating interplanetary shock which passed ISEE 3 approximately 16 hours earlier. The event is explained if the local interplanetary field was a part of a magnetic bottle rooted at the sun or a disconnected loop propagating outward.

Coronal Mass Ejection-driven Shocks and the Associated Sudden Commencements-sudden Impulses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veenadhari, B.; Selvakumaran, R.; Singh, Rajesh; Maurya, Ajeet K.; Gopalswamy, N.; Kumar, Sushil; Kikuchi, T.

2012-01-01

Interplanetary (IP) shocks are mainly responsible for the sudden compression of the magnetosphere, causing storm sudden commencement (SC) and sudden impulses (SIs) which are detected by ground-based magnetometers. On the basis of the list of 222 IP shocks compiled by Gopalswamy et al., we have investigated the dependence of SC/SIs amplitudes on the speed of the coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that drive the shocks near the Sun as well as in the interplanetary medium. We find that about 91% of the IP shocks were associated with SC/SIs. The average speed of the SC/SI-associated CMEs is 1015 km/s, which is almost a factor of 2 higher than the general CME speed. When the shocks were grouped according to their ability to produce type II radio burst in the interplanetary medium, we find that the radio-loud (RL) shocks produce a much larger SC/SI amplitude (average approx. 32 nT) compared to the radio-quiet (RQ) shocks (average approx. 19 nT). Clearly, RL shocks are more effective in producing SC/SIs than the RQ shocks. We also divided the IP shocks according to the type of IP counterpart of interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs): magnetic clouds (MCs) and nonmagnetic clouds. We find that the MC-associated shock speeds are better correlated with SC/SI amplitudes than those associated with non-MC ejecta. The SC/SI amplitudes are also higher for MCs than ejecta. Our results show that RL and RQ type of shocks are important parameters in producing the SC/SI amplitude.

Interplanetary Shocks Lacking Type 2 Radio Bursts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswamy, N.; Xie, H.; Maekela, P.; Akiyama, S.; Yashiro, S.; Kaiser, M. L.; Howard, R. A.; Bougeret, J.-L.

2010-01-01

We report on the radio-emission characteristics of 222 interplanetary (IP) shocks detected by spacecraft at Sun-Earth L1 during solar cycle 23 (1996 to 2006, inclusive). A surprisingly large fraction of the IP shocks (approximately 34%) was radio quiet (RQ; i.e., the shocks lacked type II radio bursts). We examined the properties of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and soft X-ray flares associated with such RQ shocks and compared them with those of the radio-loud (RL) shocks. The CMEs associated with the RQ shocks were generally slow (average speed approximately 535 km/s) and only approximately 40% of the CMEs were halos. The corresponding numbers for CMEs associated with RL shocks were 1237 km/s and 72%, respectively. Thus, the CME kinetic energy seems to be the deciding factor in the radio-emission properties of shocks. The lower kinetic energy of CMEs associated with RQ shocks is also suggested by the lower peak soft X-ray flux of the associated flares (C3.4 versus M4.7 for RL shocks). CMEs associated with RQ CMEs were generally accelerating within the coronagraph field of view (average acceleration approximately +6.8 m/s (exp 2)), while those associated with RL shocks were decelerating (average acceleration approximately 3.5 m/s (exp 2)). This suggests that many of the RQ shocks formed at large distances from the Sun, typically beyond 10 Rs, consistent with the absence of metric and decameter-hectometric (DH) type II radio bursts. A small fraction of RL shocks had type II radio emission solely in the kilometric (km) wavelength domain. Interestingly, the kinematics of the CMEs associated with the km type II bursts is similar to those of RQ shocks, except that the former are slightly more energetic. Comparison of the shock Mach numbers at 1 AU shows that the RQ shocks are mostly subcritical, suggesting that they were not efficient in accelerating electrons. The Mach number values also indicate that most of these are quasi-perpendicular shocks. The radio-quietness is predominant in the rise phase and decreases through the maximum and declining phases of solar cycle 23. About 18% of the IP shocks do not have discernible ejecta behind them. These shocks are due to CMEs moving at large angles from the Sun-Earth line and hence are not blast waves. The solar sources of the shock-driving CMEs follow the sunspot butterfly diagram, consistent with the higher-energy requirement for driving shocks.

Operational, Real-Time, Sun-to-Earth Interplanetary Shock Predictions During Solar Cycle 23

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fry, C. D.; Dryer, M.; Sun, W.; Deehr, C. S.; Smith, Z.; Akasofu, S.

2002-05-01

We report on our progress in predicting interplanetary shock arrival time (SAT) in real-time, using three forecast models: the Hakamada-Akasofu-Fry (HAF) modified kinematic model, the Interplanetary Shock Propagation Model (ISPM) and the Shock Time of Arrival (STOA) model. These models are run concurrently to provide real-time predictions of the arrival time at Earth of interplanetary shocks caused by solar events. These "fearless forecasts" are the first, and presently only, publicly distributed predictions of SAT and are undergoing quantitative evaluation for operational utility and scientific benchmarking. All three models predict SAT, but the HAF model also provides a global view of the propagation of interplanetary shocks through the pre-existing, non-uniform heliospheric structure. This allows the forecaster to track the propagation of the shock and to differentiate between shocks caused by solar events and those associated with co-rotating interaction regions (CIRs). This study includes 173 events during the period February, 1997 to October, 2000. Shock predictions were compared with spacecraft observations at the L1 location to determine how well the models perform. Sixty-eight shocks were observed at L1 within 120 hours of an event. We concluded that 6 of these observed shocks were caused by CIRs, and the remainder were caused by solar events. The forecast skill of the models are presented in terms of RMS errors, contingency tables and skill scores commonly used by the weather forecasting community. The false alarm rate for HAF was higher than for ISPM or STOA but much lower than for predictions based upon empirical studies or climatology. Of the parameters used to characterize a shock source at the Sun, the initial speed of the coronal shock, as represented by the observed metric type II speed, has the largest influence on the predicted SAT. We also found that HAF model predictions based upon type II speed are generally better for shocks originating from sites near central meridian, and worse for limb events. This tendency suggests that the observed type II speed is more representative of the interplanetary shock speed for events occurring near central meridian. In particular, the type II speed appears to underestimate the actual Earth-directed IP shock speed when the source of the event is near the limb. Several of the most interesting events (Bastille Day epoch (2000), April Fools Day epoch (2001))will be discussed in more detail with the use of real-time animations.

Characteristics of the interplanetary shocks formed by a sudden increase in the velocity of the solar wind from a coronal hole

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bravo, S.

1995-01-01

Coronal holes are the sources of the solar wind and, according to recent YOKOH observations, may undergo rapid changes which are associated with manifestations of explosive solar activity. Rapid changes in a hole's structure will produce rapid changes in the characteristics of the wind emerging from it and, in the particular c se of a sudden increase in wind velocity, this may lead to the formation of an interplanetary shock. We discuss the characteristics of shocks formed in such a way and compare them with interplanetary observations.

Energetic electrons response to ULF waves induced by interplanetary shocks in the outer radiation belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zong, Qiugang

Strong interplanetary shocks interaction with the Earth's magnetosphere would have great impacts on the Earth's magnetosphere. Cluster and Double Star constellation provides an ex-cellent opportunity to study the inner magnetospheric response to a powerful interplanetary solar wind forcing. An interplanetary shock on Nov.7 2004 with the solar wind dynamic pres-sure ˜ 70 nPa (Maximum) induced a large bipolar electric field in the plasmasphere boundary layer as observed by Cluster fleet, the peak-to-peak ∆Ey is more than 60 mV/m. Energetic elec-trons in the outer radiation belt are accelerated almost simultaneously when the interplanetary shock impinges upon the Earth's magnetosphere. Energetic electron bursts are coincident with the induced large electric field, energetic electrons (30 to 500 keV) with 900 pitch angles are accelerated first whereas those electrons are decelerated when the shock-induced electric field turns to positive value. Both toroidal and poloidal mode waves are found to be important but interacting with energetic electron at a different L-shell and a different period. At the Cluster's position (L = 4.4,), poloidal is predominant wave mode whereas at the geosynchronous orbits (L = 6.6), the ULF waves observed by the GOES -10 and -12 satellites are mostly toroidal. For comparison, a rather weak interplanetary shock on Aug. 30, 2001 (dynamic pressure ˜ 2.7 nPa) is also investigated in this paper. It is found that interplanetary shocks or solar wind pressure pulses with even small dynamic pressure change would have non-ignorable role in the radiation belt dynamic. Further, in this paper, our results also reveal the excitation of ULF waves re-sponses on the passing interplanetary shock, especially the importance of difference ULF wave modes when interacting with the energetic electrons in the radiation belt. The damping of the shock induced ULF waves could be separated into two terms: one term corresponds to the generalized Landau damping, the damping rate is large and the damping is fast; the other term corresponds to the damping through ionosphere due to its finite electric conductivity, the damping rate of this item is small and the damping is slow. The fast damping rate at (˜ 10-3 ) is significant larger than the slow damping rate (˜ 10-4 ) suggesting a rapid ULF wave energy lost is via drift resonance with energetic electrons in the radiation belt.

Atypical Particle Heating at a Supercritical Interplanetary Shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Lynn B., III

2010-01-01

We present the first observations at an interplanetary shock of large amplitude (> 100 mV/m pk-pk) solitary waves and large amplitude (approx.30 mV/m pk-pk) waves exhibiting characteristics consistent with electron Bernstein waves. The Bernstein-like waves show enhanced power at integer and half-integer harmonics of the cyclotron frequency with a broadened power spectrum at higher frequencies, consistent with the electron cyclotron drift instability. The Bernstein-like waves are obliquely polarized with respect to the magnetic field but parallel to the shock normal direction. Strong particle heating is observed in both the electrons and ions. The observed heating and waveforms are likely due to instabilities driven by the free energy provided by reflected ions at this supercritical interplanetary shock. These results offer new insights into collisionless shock dissipation and wave-particle interactions in the solar wind.

Acceleration of low-energy protons and alpha particles at interplanetary shock waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholer, M.; Hovestadt, D.; Ipavich, F. M.; Gloeckler, G.

1983-01-01

The low-energy protons and alpha particles in the energy range 30 keV/charge to 150 keV/charge associated with three different interplanetary shock waves in the immediate preshock and postshock region are studied using data obtained by the ISEE 3. The spatial distributions in the preshock and postshock medium are presented, and the dependence of the phase space density at different energies on the distance from the shock and on the form of the distribution function of both species immediately at the shock is examined. It is found that in the preshock region the particles are flowing in the solar wind frame of reference away from the shock and in the postshock medium the distribution is more or less isotropic in this frame of reference. The distribution function in the postshock region can be represented by a power law in energy which has the same spectral exponent for both protons and alpha particles. It is concluded that the first-order Fermi acceleration process can consistently explain the data, although the spectra of diffuse bow shock associated particles are different from the spectra of the interplanetary shock-associated particles in the immediate vicinity of the shock. In addition, the mean free path of the low energy ions in the preshock medium is found to be considerably smaller than the mean free path determined by the turbulence of the background interplanetary medium.

The Ambient and Perturbed Solar Wind: From the Sun to 1 AU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinolfson, R. S.

1997-01-01

The overall objective of the proposed research was to use numerical solutions of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations along with comparisons of the computed results with observations to study the following topics: (1) ambient solar wind solutions that extend from the solar surface to 1 astronomical unit (AU), contain closed magnetic structures near the Sun, and are consistent with observed values; (2) magnetic and plasma structures in coronal mass ejections (CMES) as they propagate to the interplanetary medium; (3) relation of MHD shocks to CMEs in the interplanetary medium; (4) interaction of MHD shocks with structures (such as other shocks, corotating interaction regions, current sheets) in the interplanetary plasma; and (5) simulations of observed interplanetary structures. A planned close collaboration with data analysts served to make the model more relevant to the data. The outcome of this research program is an improved understanding of the physical processes occurring in solar-generated disturbances in the interplanetary medium between the Sun and 1 AU.

Large-Amplitude Electrostatic Waves Observed at a Supercritical Interplanetary Shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, L. B., III; Cattell, C. A.; Kellogg, P. J.; Goetz, K.; Kersten, K.; Kasper, J. C.; Szabo, A.; Wilber, M.

2010-01-01

We present the first observations at an interplanetary shock of large-amplitude (> 100 mV/m pk-pk) solitary waves and large-amplitude (approx.30 mV/m pk-pk) waves exhibiting characteristics consistent with electron Bernstein waves. The Bernstein-like waves show enhanced power at integer and half-integer harmonics of the cyclotron frequency with a broadened power spectrum at higher frequencies, consistent with the electron cyclotron drift instability. The Bernstein-like waves are obliquely polarized with respect to the magnetic field but parallel to the shock normal direction. Strong particle heating is observed in both the electrons and ions. The observed heating and waveforms are likely due to instabilities driven by the free energy provided by reflected ions at this supercritical interplanetary shock. These results offer new insights into collisionless shock dissipation and wave-particle interactions in the solar wind.

The interplanetary shock of September 24, 1998: Arrival at Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell, C. T.; Wang, Y. L.; Raeder, J.; Tokar, R. L.; Smith, C. W.; Ogilvie, K. W.; Lazarus, A. J.; Lepping, R. P.; Szabo, A.; Kawano, H.; Mukai, T.; Savin, S.; Yermolaev, Y. I.; Zhou, X.-Y.; Tsurutani, B. T.

2000-11-01

At close to 2345 UT on September 24, 1998, the magnetosphere was suddenly compressed by the passage of an interplanetary shock. In order to properly interpret the magnetospheric events triggered by the arrival of this shock, we calculate the orientation of the shock, its velocity, and its estimated time of arrival at the nose of the magnetosphere. Our best fit shock normal has an orientation of (-0.981 -0.157 -0.112) in solar ecliptic coordinates, a speed of 769 km/s, and an arrival time of 2344:19 at the magnetopause at 10 RE. Since measurements of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field are available from multiple spacecraft, we can compare several different techniques of shock-normal determination. Of the single spacecraft techniques the magnetic coplanarity solution is most accurate and the mixed mode solution is of lesser accuracy. Uncertainty in the timing and location of the IMP 8 spacecraft limits the accuracy of solutions using the time of arrival at the position of IMP 8.

Using ENLIL and SEPMOD to Evaluate Shock Connectivity Influences on Gradual SEP Events Observed with STEREO and ACE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luhmann, J. G.; Mays, M. L.; Li, Y.; Bain, H. M.; Lee, C. O.; Odstrcil, D.; Mewaldt, R. A.; Cohen, C.; Leske, R. A.

2017-12-01

An observer's magnetic field connection to a SEP-producing interplanetary shock (or compression) source often appears to provide a good indicator of whether or not a SEP event occurs. As a result, some tools for SEP event modeling make use of this finding. However, a key assumption of these approaches is that the interplanetary magnetic field and heliospheric shock geometries are known throughout the event(s). We consider examples of SEP time profile calculations obtained with combined ENLIL and SEPMOD modeling where the results compare well with observations at multiple inner heliosphere sites, and compare them to cases where such comparisons show a relative lack of agreement. ENLIL does not include the shock inside 21 Rs or CME/ICME ejecta magnetic fields, but for the agreeable cases this does not seem to make a big difference. The number, size, speed and directions of related CMEs/ICMEs, and ENLIL field line geometry appear to play the most critical roles. This includes the inclusion of prior and parallel events that affect both the ICME propagation and magnetic field geometry and strength along the observer field line. It seems clear that if a SEP forecasting system is desired, we must continue to have instrumentation that allows us to specify global CME/ICME initiation geometry (coronagraphs, XUV/EUV imagers) and background solar wind structure (magnetographs).

Plasma wave phenomena at interplanetary shocks observed by the Ulysses URAP experiment. [Unified Radio and Plasma Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lengyel-Frey, D.; Macdowall, R. J.; Stone, R. G.; Hoang, S.; Pantellini, F.; Harvey, C.; Mangeney, A.; Kellogg, P.; Thiessen, J.; Canu, P.

1992-01-01

We present Ulysses URAP observations of plasma waves at seven interplanetary shocks detected between approximately 1 and 3 AU. The URAP data allows ready correlation of wave phenomena from .1 Hz to 1 MHz. Wave phenomena observed in the shock vicinity include abrupt changes in the quasi-thermal noise continuum, Langmuir wave activity, ion acoustic noise, whistler waves and low frequency electrostatic waves. We focus on the forward/reverse shock pair of May 27, 1991 to demonstrate the characteristics of the URAP data.

SHORT ACCELERATION TIMES FROM SUPERDIFFUSIVE SHOCK ACCELERATION IN THE HELIOSPHERE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perri, S.; Zimbardo, G., E-mail: silvia.perri@fis.unical.it

2015-12-10

The analysis of time profiles of particles accelerated at interplanetary shocks allows particle transport properties to be inferred. The frequently observed power-law decay upstream, indeed, implies a superdiffusive particle transport when the level of magnetic field variance does not change as the time interval from the shock front increases. In this context, a superdiffusive shock acceleration (SSA) theory has been developed, allowing us to make predictions of the acceleration times. In this work we estimate for a number of interplanetary shocks, including the solar wind termination shock, the acceleration times for energetic protons in the framework of SSA and wemore » compare the results with the acceleration times predicted by standard diffusive shock acceleration. The acceleration times due to SSA are found to be much shorter than in the classical model, and also shorter than the interplanetary shock lifetimes. This decrease of the acceleration times is due to the scale-free nature of the particle displacements in the framework of superdiffusion. Indeed, very long displacements are possible, increasing the probability for particles far from the front of the shock to return, and short displacements have a high probability of occurrence, increasing the chances for particles close to the front to cross the shock many times.« less

The Role of Hydromagnetic Waves in the Magnetosphere and the Ionosphere

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-31

of right-hand-polarized waves in instabilities, we follow the examples discussed by Wong interplanetary shocks and in the terrestrial foreshock and... foreshock , (Received January 14, 1988;J. Geophys. Res., 90, 1429, 1985. Spangler, S.R., and J.P. Sheerin, Alfv6.n wave revised April 15, 1988;collapse...bow shocks,2 and in the interplanetary shocks and the a four-wave parametric coupling process is a.alyzed for the terrestrial foreshock .3 .4 Moreover

A cosmic-ray-mediated shock in the solar system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eichler, D.

1981-01-01

It is pointed out that the flare-induced blast wave of Aug. 4, 1972, the most violent disturbance in the solar wind on record, produced cosmic rays with an efficiency of about 50%. Such a high efficiency is predicted by the self-regulating production model of cosmic-ray origin in shocks. Most interplanetary shocks, according to simple theoretical analysis, are not strong enough to produce cosmic rays efficiently. However, if shock strength is the key parameter governing efficiency, as present interplanetary data suggest, then shocks from supernova blasts, quasar outbursts, and other violent astrophysical phenomena should be extremely efficient sources of cosmic rays.

The emergence of different polarity photospheric flux as the cause of CMEs and interplanetary shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bravo, S.

1995-01-01

Here we discuss the effect that the emergence of flux with a polarity opposed to that previously established in a certain photospheric region. can have on the magnetic structure of the solar atmosphere. We show that such a flux emergence may lead to the ejection of coronal material into the interplanetary medium (a CME) and also to a rapid change in the velocity of the solar wind from the region, which may eventually lead to the formation of an interplanetary shock.

Electron dropout echoes induced by interplanetary shock: Van Allen Probes observations

DOE PAGES

Hao, Y. X.; Zong, Q. -G.; Zhou, X. -Z.; ...

2016-06-07

On 23 November 2012, a sudden dropout of the relativistic electron flux was observed after an interplanetary shock arrival. The dropout peaks at ~1 MeV and more than 80% of the electrons disappeared from the drift shell. Van Allen twin Probes observed a sharp electron flux dropout with clear energy dispersion signals. The repeating flux dropout and recovery signatures, or “dropout echoes”, constitute a new phenomenon referred to as a “drifting electron dropout” with a limited initial spatial range. The azimuthal range of the dropout is estimated to be on the duskside, from ~1300 to 0100 LT. We then concludemore » that the shock-induced electron dropout is not caused by the magnetopause shadowing. Furthermore, the dropout and consequent echoes suggest that the radial migration of relativistic electrons is induced by the strong dusk-dawn asymmetric interplanetary shock compression on the magnetosphere.« less

The acceleration of charged particles in interplanetary shock waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pesses, M. E.; Decker, R. B.; Armstrong, T. P.

1982-01-01

Consideration of the theoretical and observational literature on energetic ion acceleration in interplanetary shock waves is the basis for the present discussion of the shock acceleration of the solar wind plasma and particle transport effects. It is suggested that ISEE data be used to construct data sets for shock events that extend continuously from solar wind to galactic cosmic ray energies, including data for electrons, protons, alphas and ions with Z values greater than 2.0, and that the temporal and spatial evolution of two- and three-dimensional particle distribution functions be studied by means of two or more spacecraft.

CAWSES November 7-8, 2004, Superstorm: Complex Solar and Interplanetary Features in the Post-Solar Maximum Phase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsurutani, Bruce T.; Echer, Ezequiel; Guarnieri, Fernando L.; Kozyra, J. U.

2008-01-01

The complex interplanetary structures during 7 to 8 Nov 2004 are analyzed to identify their properties as well as resultant geomagnetic effects and the solar origins. Three fast forward shocks, three directional discontinuities and two reverse waves were detected and analyzed in detail. The three fast forward shocks 'pump' up the interplanetary magnetic field from a value of approx.4 nT to 44 nT. However, the fields after the shocks were northward, and magnetic storms did not result. The three ram pressure increases were associated with major sudden impulses (SI + s) at Earth. A magnetic cloud followed the third forward shock and the southward Bz associated with the latter was responsible for the superstorm. Two reverse waves were detected, one at the edge and one near the center of the magnetic cloud (MC). It is suspected that these 'waves' were once reverse shocks which were becoming evanescent when they propagated into the low plasma beta MC. The second reverse wave caused a decrease in the southward component of the IMF and initiated the storm recovery phase. It is determined that flares located at large longitudinal distances from the subsolar point were the most likely causes of the first two shocks without associated magnetic clouds. It is thus unlikely that the shocks were 'blast waves' or that magnetic reconnection eroded away the two associated MCs. This interplanetary/solar event is an example of the extremely complex magnetic storms which can occur in the post-solar maximum phase.

Plasma and energetic particle structure upstream of a quasi-parallel interplanetary shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennel, C. F.; Scarf, F. L.; Coroniti, F. V.; Russell, C. T.; Wenzel, K.-P.; Sanderson, T. R.; Van Nes, P.; Smith, E. J.; Tsurutani, B. T.; Scudder, J. D.

1984-01-01

ISEE 1, 2 and 3 data from 1978 on interplanetary magnetic fields, shock waves and particle energetics are examined to characterize a quasi-parallel shock. The intense shock studied exhibited a 640 km/sec velocity. The data covered 1-147 keV protons and electrons and ions with energies exceeding 30 keV in regions both upstream and downstream of the shock, and also the magnitudes of ion-acoustic and MHD waves. The energetic particles and MHD waves began being detected 5 hr before the shock. Intense halo electron fluxes appeared ahead of the shock. A closed magnetic field structure was produced with a front end 700 earth radii from the shock. The energetic protons were cut off from the interior of the magnetic bubble, which contained a markedly increased density of 2-6 keV protons as well as the shock itself.

Subcritical and supercritical interplanetary shocks - Magnetic field and energetic particle observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bavassano-Cattaneo, M. B.; Tsurutani, B. T.; Smith, E. J.; Lin, R. P.

1986-01-01

A study of 34 forward interplanetary shocks observed by ISEE 3 during 1978 and 1979 has been conducted. Magnetic field and high-energy particle data have been used, and for each shock the first critical Mach number has been determined. The first surprising result is that the majority of the observed shocks appear to be supercritical, and consistent with their supercritical character, many shocks have a foot and/or an overshoot in the magnetic field structure. Large-amplitude low-frequency waves (period of about 20 s in the spacecraft frame) are commonly observed upstream of all supercritical shocks (except for a few quasi-perpendicular shocks) and also upstream of the few subcritical shocks. Intense particle events are frequently observed at many shocks: spikes at quasi-perpendicular shocks and energetic storm particle events associated with quasi-parallel shocks can be comparably intense. The correlation of the high-energy particle peak flux with various shock parameters is in agreement with the acceleration mechanisms proposed by previous studies.

Electron Dropout Echoes Induced by Interplanetary Shock: A Statistical Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Z.; Zong, Q.; Hao, Y.; Zhou, X.; Ma, X.; Liu, Y.

2017-12-01

"Electron dropout echo" as indicated by repeated moderate dropout and recovery signatures of the flux of energetic electron in the out radiation belt region has been investigated systematically. The electron dropout and its echoes are usually found for higher energy (> 300 keV) channels fluxes, whereas the flux enhancements are obvious for lower energy electrons simultaneously after the interplanetary shock arrives at the Earth's geosynchronous orbit. 104 dropout echo events have been found from 215 interplanetary shock events from 1998 to 2007 based on LANL satellite data. In analogy to substorm injections, these 104 events could be naturally divided into two categories: dispersionless (49 events) or dispersive (55 events) according to the energy dispersion of the initial dropout. It is found that locations of dispersionless events are distributed mainly in the duskside magnetosphere. Further, the obtained locations derived from dispersive events with the time-of-flight technique of the initial dropout regions are mainly located at the duskside as well. Statistical studies have shown that the effect of shock normal, interplanetary magnetic field Bz and solar wind dynamic pressure may be insignificant to these electron dropout events. We suggest that the electric field impulse induced by the IP shock produces a more pronounced inward migration of electrons at the dusk side, resulting in the observed dusk-side moderate dropout of electron flux and its consequent echoes.

The Inner Magnetosphere Plasma Response to Interplanetary Shocks: Van Allen Probes HOPE Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winter, L. M.; Denton, M.; Ferradas, C.; Henderson, M. G.; Larsen, B.; Reeves, G.; Skoug, R. M.; Thomsen, M. F.

2017-12-01

The Van Allen Probes' Helium, Oxygen, Proton, and Electron (HOPE) sensors measure ion and electron populations in the plasmasphere, plasma sheet, and lower-energy ring current, providing unique observations at low energies (0.001-50 keV) and low L-shell (down to 1.5 RE). We use the capabilities of these two spacecraft to probe changes in the low energy particles in response to interplanetary (IP) shocks. We focus on changes in the plasma energies, composition, and pitch angle distributions following IP shocks and storm sudden commencements from 2012-2017 through a comparison of HOPE observations preceding and post shock.

Evidence for confinement of low-energy cosmic rays ahead of interplanetary shock waves.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palmeira, R. A. R.; Allum, F. R.

1973-01-01

Short-lived (about 15 min), low-energy proton increases associated with the passage of interplanetary shock waves have been previously reported. In the present paper, we have examined in a fine time scale (about 1 min) the concurrent particle and magnetic field data, taken by detectors on Explorer 34, for four of these events. Our results further support the view that these impulsive events are due to confinement of the solar cosmic-ray particles in the region just ahead (about 1,000,000 km) of the advancing shock front.

Shock analysis - Three useful new relations. [collisionless hydromagnetic shocks in space plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Edward J.; Burton, Marcia E.

1988-01-01

The behavior of collisionless hydromagnetic shocks in interplanetary space is considered analytically, with a focus on relations, implicit in the governing Rankine-Hugoniot equations, involving the magnetic field (B) and the plasma velocity (V). A moving reference frame aligned with the shock is employed, and expressions are derived which make it possible (1) to determine the speed of a shock of arbitrary orientation from upstream and downstream measurements of B and V; (2) to characterize the change in flow direction as the plasma crosses the shock in terms of the plasma beta, the Mach number, and the angle between the upstream field and the shock normal; and (3) to infer the third component of the upstream-downstream velocity jump from B and two-dimensional V measurements. These expressions are applied to ISEE-3 data on an interplanetary shock on April 5, 1979, and the results are presented in tables.

The Acceleration of Thermal Protons and Minor Ions at a Quasi-Parallel Interplanetary Shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giacalone, J.; Lario, D.; Lepri, S. T.

2017-12-01

We compare the results from self-consistent hybrid simulations (kinetic ions, massless fluid electrons) and spacecraft observations of a strong, quasi-parallel interplanetary shock that crossed the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) on DOY 94, 2001. In our simulations, the un-shocked plasma-frame ion distributions are Maxwellian. Our simulations include protons and minor ions (alphas, 3He++, and C5+). The interplanetary shock crossed both the ACE and the Wind spacecraft, and was associated with significant increases in the flux of > 50 keV/nuc ions. Our simulation uses parameters (ion densities, magnetic field strength, Mach number, etc.) consistent with those observed. Acceleration of the ions by the shock, in a manner similar to that expected from diffusive shock acceleration theory, leads to a high-energy tail in the distribution of the post-shock plasma for all ions we considered. The simulated distributions are directly compared to those observed by ACE/SWICS, EPAM, and ULEIS, and Wind/STICS and 3DP, covering the energy range from below the thermal peak to the suprathermal tail. We conclude from our study that the solar wind is the most significant source of the high-energy ions for this event. Our results have important implications for the physics of the so-called `injection problem', which will be discussed.

Seed population for about 1 MeV per nucleon heavy ions accelerated by interplanetary shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tan, L. C.; Mason, G. M.; Klecker, B.; Hovestadt, D.

1989-01-01

Data obtained between 1977 and 1982 by the ISEE 1 and ISEE 3 satellites on the composition of heavy ions of about 1 MeV per nucleon, accelerated in interplanetary shock events which followed solar flare events, are examined. It was found that the average relative abundances for C, O, and Fe in the shock events were very close to those found for energetic ions in the solar flares, suggesting that, at these energies, the shock accelerated particles have the solar energetic particles as their seed population. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that the Fe/O ratio in the solar particle events is very strongly correlated with the Fe/O ratio in associated diffusive shock events.

Upstream waves and particles /Tutorial Lecture/. [from shocks in interplanetary space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, C. T.; Hoppe, M. M.

1983-01-01

The plasma waves, MHD waves, energetic electrons and ions associated with the proximity of the region upstream from terrestrial, planetary and interplanetary shocks are discussed in view of observations and current theories concerning their origin. These waves cannot be separated from the study of shock structure. Since the shocks are supersonic, they continually overtake any ULF waves created in the plasma in front of the shock. The upstream particles and waves are also of intrinsic interest because they provide a plasma laboratory for the study of wave-particle interactions in a plasma which, at least at the earth, is accessible to sophisticated probing. Insight may be gained into interstellar medium cosmic ray acceleration through the study of these phenomena.

Interplanetary fast shock diagnosis with the radio receiver on Ulysses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoang, S.; Pantellini, F.; Harvey, C. C.; Lacombe, C.; Mangeney, A.; Meuer-Vernet, N.; Perche, C.; Steinberg, J.-L.; Lengyel-Frey, D.; Macdowall, R. J.

1992-01-01

The radio receiver on Ulysses records the quasi-thermal noise which allows a determination of the density and temperature of the cold (core) electrons of the solar wind. Seven interplanetary fast forward or reverse shocks are identified from the density and temperature profiles, together with the magnetic field profile from the Magnetometer experiment. Upstream of the three strongest shocks, bursts of nonthermal waves are observed at the electron plasma frequency f(peu). The more perpendicular the shock, the longer the time interval during which these upstream bursts are observed. For one of the strongest shocks we also observe two kinds of upstream electromagnetic radiation: radiation at 2 f(peu), and radiation at the downstream electron plasma frequency, which propagates into the less dense upstream regions.

DENSITY FLUCTUATIONS UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM OF INTERPLANETARY SHOCKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pitňa, A.; Šafránková, J.; Němeček, Z.

2016-03-01

Interplanetary (IP) shocks as typical large-scale disturbances arising from processes such as stream–stream interactions or Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (ICME) launching play a significant role in the energy redistribution, dissipation, particle heating, acceleration, etc. They can change the properties of the turbulent cascade on shorter scales. We focus on changes of the level and spectral properties of ion flux fluctuations upstream and downstream of fast forward oblique shocks. Although the fluctuation level increases by an order of magnitude across the shock, the spectral slope in the magnetohydrodynamic range is conserved. The frequency spectra upstream of IP shocks are the same as those inmore » the solar wind (if not spoiled by foreshock waves). The spectral slopes downstream are roughly proportional to the corresponding slopes upstream, suggesting that the properties of the turbulent cascade are conserved across the shock; thus, the shock does not destroy the shape of the spectrum as turbulence passes through it. Frequency spectra downstream of IP shocks often exhibit “an exponential decay” in the ion kinetic range that was earlier reported at electron scales in the solar wind or at ion scales in the interstellar medium. We suggest that the exponential shape of ion flux spectra in this range is caused by stronger damping of the fluctuations in the downstream region.« less

ENERGETIC PARTICLE PRESSURE AT INTERPLANETARY SHOCKS: STEREO-A OBSERVATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lario, D.; Decker, R. B.; Roelof, E. C.

2015-11-10

We study periods of elevated energetic particle intensities observed by STEREO-A when the partial pressure exerted by energetic (≥83 keV) protons (P{sub EP}) is larger than the pressure exerted by the interplanetary magnetic field (P{sub B}). In the majority of cases, these periods are associated with the passage of interplanetary shocks. Periods when P{sub EP} exceeds P{sub B} by more than one order of magnitude are observed in the upstream region of fast interplanetary shocks where depressed magnetic field regions coincide with increases of energetic particle intensities. When solar wind parameters are available, P{sub EP} also exceeds the pressure exertedmore » by the solar wind thermal population (P{sub TH}). Prolonged periods (>12 hr) with both P{sub EP} > P{sub B} and P{sub EP} > P{sub TH} may also occur when energetic particles accelerated by an approaching shock encounter a region well upstream of the shock characterized by low magnetic field magnitude and tenuous solar wind density. Quasi-exponential increases of the sum P{sub SUM} = P{sub B} + P{sub TH} + P{sub EP} are observed in the immediate upstream region of the shocks regardless of individual changes in P{sub EP}, P{sub B}, and P{sub TH}, indicating a coupling between P{sub EP} and the pressure of the background medium characterized by P{sub B} and P{sub TH}. The quasi-exponential increase of P{sub SUM} implies a radial gradient ∂P{sub SUM}/∂r > 0 that is quasi-stationary in the shock frame and results in an outward force applied to the plasma upstream of the shock. This force can be maintained by the mobile energetic particles streaming upstream of the shocks that, in the most intense events, drive electric currents able to generate diamagnetic cavities and depressed solar wind density regions.« less

The Radiation, Interplanetary Shocks, and Coronal Sources (RISCS) Toolset

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zank, G. P.; Spann, James F.

2014-01-01

The goal of this project is to serve the needs of space system designers and operators by developing an interplanetary radiation environment model within 10 AU:Radiation, Interplanetary Shocks, and Coronal Sources (RISCS) toolset: (1) The RISCS toolset will provide specific reference environments for space system designers and nowcasting and forecasting capabilities for space system operators; (2) We envision the RISCS toolset providing the spatial and temporal radiation environment external to the Earth's (and other planets') magnetosphere, as well as possessing the modularity to integrate separate applications (apps) that can map to specific magnetosphere locations and/or perform the subsequent radiation transport and dosimetry for a specific target.

Geoeffectiveness of interplanetary shocks controlled by impact angles: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, D. M.; Samsonov, A. A.

2018-01-01

The high variability of the Sun's magnetic field is responsible for the generation of perturbations that propagate throughout the heliosphere. Such disturbances often drive interplanetary shocks in front of their leading regions. Strong shocks transfer momentum and energy into the solar wind ahead of them which in turn enhance the solar wind interaction with magnetic fields in its way. Shocks then eventually strike the Earth's magnetosphere and trigger a myriad of geomagnetic effects observed not only by spacecraft in space, but also by magnetometers on the ground. Recently, it has been revealed that shocks can show different geoeffectiveness depending closely on the angle of impact. Generally, frontal shocks are more geoeffective than inclined shocks, even if the former are comparatively weaker than the latter. This review is focused on results obtained from modeling and experimental efforts in the last 15 years. Some theoretical and observational background are also provided.

Electron heating and the potential jump across fast mode shocks. [in interplanetary space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, Steven J.; Thomsen, Michelle F.; Bame, S. J.; Stansberry, John

1988-01-01

Two different methods were applied to determine the cross-shock potential jump in the de Hoffmann-Teller reference frame, using a data set that represented 66 crossings of the terrestrial bow shock and 14 interplanetary shocks observed by various ISEE spacecraft, and one crossing each of the Jovian bow shock and the Uranian bow shock made by the Voyager spacecraft. Results for estimates of the electrostatic potential based on an estimate of the jump in electron enthalpy correlated well with estimates based on Liouville's theorem, although the Liouville-determined values were systematically the higher of the two, suggesting that significant irreversible processes contribute to the shape of the downstream distribution. The potential jump corresponds to approximately 12-15 percent of the incident ion ram kinetic energy, and was found not to be controlled by the Mach number, plasma beta, shock geometry, or electron to ion temperature ratios.

Automated Detection and Analysis of Interplanetary Shocks with Real-Time Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vorotnikov, V.; Smith, C. W.; Hu, Q.; Szabo, A.; Skoug, R. M.; Cohen, C. M.

2006-12-01

The ACE real-time data stream provides web-based now-casting capabilities for solar wind conditions upstream of Earth. Our goal is to provide an automated code that finds and analyzes interplanetary shocks as they occur for possible real-time application to space weather nowcasting. Shock analysis algorithms based on the Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions exist and are in wide-spread use today for the interactive analysis of interplanetary shocks yielding parameters such as shock speed and propagation direction and shock strength in the form of compression ratios. Although these codes can be automated in a reasonable manner to yield solutions not far from those obtained by user-directed interactive analysis, event detection presents an added obstacle and the first step in a fully automated analysis. We present a fully automated Rankine-Hugoniot analysis code that can scan the ACE science data, find shock candidates, analyze the events, obtain solutions in good agreement with those derived from interactive applications, and dismiss false positive shock candidates on the basis of the conservation equations. The intent is to make this code available to NOAA for use in real-time space weather applications. The code has the added advantage of being able to scan spacecraft data sets to provide shock solutions for use outside real-time applications and can easily be applied to science-quality data sets from other missions. Use of the code for this purpose will also be explored.

The Presence of Turbulent and Ordered Local Structure within the ICME Shock-sheath and Its Contribution to Forbush Decrease

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shaikh, Zubair; Bhaskar, Ankush; Raghav, Anil, E-mail: raghavanil1984@gmail.com

The transient interplanetary disturbances evoke short-time cosmic-ray flux decrease, which is known as Forbush decrease. The traditional model and understanding of Forbush decrease suggest that the sub-structure of an interplanetary counterpart of coronal mass ejection (ICME) independently contributes to cosmic-ray flux decrease. These sub-structures, shock-sheath, and magnetic cloud (MC) manifest as classical two-step Forbush decrease. The recent work by Raghav et al. has shown multi-step decreases and recoveries within the shock-sheath. However, this cannot be explained by the ideal shock-sheath barrier model. Furthermore, they suggested that local structures within the ICME’s sub-structure (MC and shock-sheath) could explain this deviation ofmore » the FD profile from the classical FD. Therefore, the present study attempts to investigate the cause of multi-step cosmic-ray flux decrease and respective recovery within the shock-sheath in detail. A 3D-hodogram method is utilized to obtain more details regarding the local structures within the shock-sheath. This method unambiguously suggests the formation of small-scale local structures within the ICME (shock-sheath and even in MC). Moreover, the method could differentiate the turbulent and ordered interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) regions within the sub-structures of ICME. The study explicitly suggests that the turbulent and ordered IMF regions within the shock-sheath do influence cosmic-ray variations differently.« less

Energetic particle diffusion coefficients upstream of quasi-parallel interplanetary shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tan, L. C.; Mason, G. M.; Gloeckler, G.; Ipavich, F. M.

1989-01-01

The properties of about 30 to 130-keV/e protons and alpha particles upstream of six quasi-parallel interplanetary shocks that passed by the ISEE 3 spacecraft during 1978-1979 were analyzed, and the values for the upstream energegic particle diffusion coefficient, kappa, in these six events were deduced for a number of energies and upstream positions. These observations were compared with predictions of Lee's (1983) theory of shock acceleration. It was found that the observations verified the prediction of the A/Q dependence (where A and Q are the particle atomic mass and ionization state, respectively) of kappa for alpha and proton particles upstream of the quasi-parallel shocks.

The acceleration of particles at propagating interplanetary shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prinsloo, P. L.; Strauss, R. D. T.

2017-12-01

Enhancements of charged energetic particles are often observed at Earth following the eruption of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on the Sun. These enhancements are thought to arise from the acceleration of those particles at interplanetary shocks forming ahead of CMEs, propagating into the heliosphere. In this study, we model the acceleration of these energetic particles by solving a set of stochastic differential equations formulated to describe their transport and including the effects of diffusive shock acceleration. The study focuses on how acceleration at halo-CME-driven shocks alter the energy spectra of non-thermal particles, while illustrating how this acceleration process depends on various shock and transport parameters. We finally attempt to establish the relative contributions of different seed populations of energetic particles in the inner heliosphere to observed intensities during selected acceleration events.

Type II solar radio bursts, interplanetary shocks, and energetic particle events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cane, H. V.; Stone, R. G.

1984-01-01

Using the ISEE-3 radio astronomy experiment data 37 interplanetary (IP) type II bursts have been identified in the period September 1978 to December 1981. These events and the associated phenomena are listed. The events are preceded by intense, soft X ray events with long decay times (LDEs) and type II and/or type IV bursts at meter wavelengths. The meter wavelength type II bursts are usually intense and exhibit herringbone structure. The extension of the herringbone structure into the kilometer wavelength range results in the occurrence of a shock accelerated (SA) event. The majority of the interplanetary type II bursts are associated with energetic particle events. These results support other studies awhich indicate that energetic solar particles detected at 1 A.U. are generated by shock acceleration. From a preliminary analysis of the available data there appears to be a high correlation with white light coronal transients.

Type 2 radio bursts, interplanetary shocks and energetic particle events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cane, H. V.; Stone, R. G.

1982-01-01

Using the ISEE-3 radio astronomy experiment data 37 interplanetary (IP) type II bursts have been identified in the period September 1978 to December 1981. These events and the associated phenomena are listed. The events are preceded by intense, soft X ray events with long decay times (LDEs) and type II and/or type IV bursts at meter wavelengths. The meter wavelength type II bursts are usually intense and exhibit herringbone structure. The extension of the herringbone structure into the kilometer wavelength range results in the occurrence of a shock accelerated (SA) event. The majority of the interplanetary type II bursts are associated with energetic particle events. These results support other studies which indicate that energetic solar particles detected at 1 A.U. are generated by shock acceleration. From a preliminary analysis of the available data there appears to be a high correlation with white light coronal transients.

RELATIONSHIPs among Geomagnetic storms, interplanetary shocks, magnetic clouds, and SUNSPOT NUMBER during 1995-2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berdichevsky, D. B.; Lepping, R. P.; Wu, C. C.

2015-12-01

During 1995-2012 Wind recorded 168 magnetic clouds (MCs), 197 magnetic cloud-like structures (MCLs), and 358 interplanetary (IP) shocks. Ninety four MCs and 56 MCLs had upstream shock waves. The following features are found: (i) Averages of solar wind speed, interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), duration (<Δt>), strength of Bzmin, and intensity of the associated geomagnetic storm/activity (Dstmin) for MCs with upstream shock waves (MCSHOCK) are higher (or stronger) than those averages for the MCs without upstream shock waves (MCNO-SHOCK). (ii) The <Δt> of MCSHOCK events (≈19.6 hr) is 9% longer than that for MCNO-SHOCK events (≈17.9 hr). (iii) For the MCSHOCK events, the average duration of the sheath (<ΔtSHEATH>) is 12.1 hrs. These findings could be very useful for space weather predictions, i.e. IP shocks driven by MCs are expected to arrive at Wind (or at 1 AU) about ~12 hours ahead of the front of the MCs on average. (iv) The occurrence frequency of IP shocks is well associated with sunspot number (SSN). The average intensity of geomagnetic storms measured by for MCSHOCK and MCNOSHOCK events is -102 and -31 nT, respectively. The is -78, -70, and -35 nT for the 358 IP shocks, 168 MCs, and 197 MCLs, respectively. These results imply that IP shocks, when they occur with MCs/MCLs, must play an important role in the strength of geomagnetic storms. We speculate as to why this is so. Yearly occurrence frequencies of MCSHOCK and IP shocks are well correlated with solar activity (e.g., SSN). Choosing the right Dstmin estimating formula for predicting the intensity of MC-associated geomagnetic storms is crucial for space weather predictions.

Langmuir waveforms at interplanetary shocks: STEREO statistical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briand, C.

2016-12-01

Wave-particle interactions and particle acceleration are the two main processes allowing energy dissipation at non collisional shocks. Ion acceleration has been deeply studied for many years, also for their central role in the shock front reformation. Electron dynamics is also important in the shock dynamics through the instabilities they can generate which may impact the ion dynamics.Particle measurements can be efficiently completed by wave measurements to determine the characteristics of the electron beams and study the turbulence of the medium. Electric waveforms obtained from the S/WAVES instrument of the STEREO mission between 2007 to 2014 are analyzed. Thus, clear signature of Langmuir waves are observed on 41 interplanetary shocks. These data enable a statistical analysis and to deduce some characteristics of the electron dynamics on different shocks sources (SIR or ICME) and types (quasi-perpendicular or quasi-parallel). The conversion process between electrostatic to electromagnetic waves has also been tested in several cases.

Electron heating at interplanetary shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feldman, W. C.; Asbridge, J. R.; Bame, S. J.; Gosling, J. T.; Zwickl, R. D.

1982-01-01

Data for 41 forward interplanetary shocks show that the ratio of downstream to upstream electron temperatures, T/sub e/(d/u) is variable in the range between 1.0 (isothermal) and 3.0. On average, (T/sub e/(d/u) = 1.5 with a standard deviation, sigma e = 0.5. This ratio is less than the average ratio of proton temperatures across the same shocks, (T/sub p/(d/u)) = 3.3 with sigma p = 2.5 as well as the average ratio of electron temperatures across the Earth's bow shock. Individual samples of T/sub e/(d/u) and T/sub p/(d/u) appear to be weakly correlated with the number density ratio. However the amounts of electron and proton heating are well correlated with each other as well as with the bulk velocity difference across each shock. The stronger shocks appear to heat the protons relatively more efficiently than they heat the electrons.

Global Effects of Transmitted Shock Wave Propagation Through the Earth's Inner Magnetosphere: First Results from 3-D Hybrid Kinetic Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lipatov, A. S.; Sibeck, D. G.

2016-01-01

We use a new hybrid kinetic model to simulate the response of ring current, outer radiation belt, and plasmaspheric particle populations to impulsive interplanetary shocks. Since particle distributions attending the interplanetary shock waves and in the ring current and radiation belts are non-Maxwellian, waveparticle interactions play a crucial role in energy transport within the inner magnetosphere. Finite gyroradius effects become important in mass loading the shock waves with the background plasma in the presence of higher energy ring current and radiation belt ions and electrons. Initial results show that shocks cause strong deformations in the global structure of the ring current, radiation belt, and plasmasphere. The ion velocity distribution functions at the shock front, in the ring current, and in the radiation belt help us determine energy transport through the Earth's inner magnetosphere.

Wind Observations of Wave Heating and/or Particle Energization at Supercritical Interplanetary Shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Lynn Bruce, III; Szabo, Adam; Koval, Andriy; Cattell, Cynthia A.; Kellogg, Paul J.; Goetz, Keith; Breneman, Aaron; Kersten, Kris; Kasper, Justin C.; Pulupa, Marc

2011-01-01

We present the first observations at supercritical interplanetary shocks of large amplitude (> 100 mV/m pk-pk) solitary waves, approx.30 mV/m pk-pk waves exhibiting characteristics consistent with electron Bernstein waves, and > 20 nT pk-pk electromagnetic lower hybrid-like waves, with simultaneous evidence for wave heating and particle energization. The solitary waves and the Bernstein-like waves were likely due to instabilities driven by the free energy provided by reflected ions [Wilson III et al., 2010]. They were associated with strong particle heating in both the electrons and ions. We also show a case example of parallel electron energization and perpendicular ion heating due to a electromagnetic lower hybrid-like wave. Both studies provide the first experimental evidence of wave heating and/or particle energization at interplanetary shocks. Our experimental results, together with the results of recent Vlasov [Petkaki and Freeman, 2008] and PIC [Matsukyo and Scholer, 2006] simulations using realistic mass ratios provide new evidence to suggest that the importance of wave-particle dissipation at shocks may be greater than previously thought.

Lessons Learned from 10 Years of STEREO Solar Wind Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jian, L. K.; Russell, C. T.; Luhmann, J. G.; Galvin, A. B.

2017-12-01

We have conducted long-term observations of large-scale solar wind structures since the launch of STEREO spacecraft, specifically interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs), slow-to-fast stream interaction regions (SIRs), and interplanetary shocks. In combination with our previous observations of the same solar wind structures in 1995-2009 using Wind/ACE data and the same identification criteria, we have first studied the solar cycle variations of these structures, especially for the same phases of solar cycles 23 and 24. Attributing the shocks to the interplanetary drivers, we have statistically compared the shocks driven by ICMEs and SIRs, and explained the shocks without a clear local driver. In addition, using the longitudinal and latitudinal separations between the twin spacecraft, we have investigated the recurrence and variability of ICMEs and SIRs, and gained the critical implications for the proposed L5 mission. At last, we have associated the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) crossings with the ICMEs and SIRs, and compared the properties of SIRs with and without HCS crossings, which correspond to the helmet streamers and pseudostreamers, respectively. The findings are important constraints on the theories of slow wind origin.

Electromagnetic Whistler Precursors at Supercritical Interplanetary Shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, L. B., III

2012-01-01

We present observations of electromagnetic precursor waves, identified as whistler mode waves, at supercritical interplanetary shocks using the Wind search coil magnetometer. The precursors propagate obliquely with respect to the local magnetic field, shock normal vector, solar wind velocity, and they are not phase standing structures. All are right-hand polarized with respect to the magnetic field (spacecraft frame), and all but one are right-hand polarized with respect to the shock normal vector in the normal incidence frame. Particle distributions show signatures of specularly reflected gyrating ions, which may be a source of free energy for the observed modes. In one event, we simultaneously observe perpendicular ion heating and parallel electron acceleration, consistent with wave heating/acceleration due to these waves.

Prompt Injections of Highly Relativistic Electrons Induced by Interplanetary Shocks: A Statistical Study of Van Allen Probes Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schiller, Q.; Kanekal, S. G.; Jian, L. K,; Li, X.; Jones, A.; Baker, D. N.; Jaynes, A.; Spence, H. E.

2016-01-01

We conduct a statistical study on the sudden response of outer radiation belt electrons due to interplanetary (IP) shocks during the Van Allen Probes era, i.e., 2012 to 2015. Data from the Relativistic Electron-Proton Telescope instrument on board Van Allen Probes are used to investigate the highly relativistic electron response (E greater than 1.8 MeV) within the first few minutes after shock impact. We investigate the relationship of IP shock parameters, such as Mach number, with the highly relativistic electron response, including spectral properties and radial location of the shock-induced injection. We find that the driving solar wind structure of the shock does not affect occurrence for enhancement events, 25% of IP shocks are associated with prompt energization, and 14% are associated with MeV electron depletion. Parameters that represent IP shock strength are found to correlate best with highest levels of energization, suggesting that shock strength may play a key role in the severity of the enhancements. However, not every shock results in an enhancement, indicating that magnetospheric preconditioning may be required.

Interplanetary double-shock ensembles with anomalous electrical conductivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dryer, M.

1972-01-01

Similarity theory is applied to the case of constant velocity, piston-driven, shock waves. This family of solutions, incorporating the interplanetary magnetic field for the case of infinite electric conductivity, represents one class of experimentally observed, flare-generated shock waves. This paper discusses the theoretical extension to flows with finite conductivity (presumably caused by unspecified modes of wave-particle interactions). Solutions, including reverse shocks, are found for a wide range of magnetic Reynolds numbers from one to infinity. Consideration of a zero and nonzero ambient flowing solar wind (together with removal of magnetic considerations) enables the recovery of earlier similarity solutions as well as numerical simulations. A limited comparison with observations suggests that flare energetics can be reasonably estimated once the shock velocity, ambient solar wind velocity and density, and ambient azimuthal Alfven Mach number are known.

Properties of Coronal Shocks at the Origin of SEP events Observed by Only One Single Spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lario, D.; Kwon, R.

2017-12-01

The simultaneous observation of solar energetic particle (SEP) events by multiple spacecraft distributed in the interplanetary medium depends not only on the spatial separation among the different spacecraft, but also on the properties of the particle sources and the characteristics of the SEP transport in interplanetary space. Among the SEP events observed by STEREO-A, STEREO-B and/or near-Earth spacecraft during solar cycle 24, we select SEP events observed by a single spacecraft (specifically, the SEP events observed only by near-Earth spacecraft on 2012 April 5, 2011 September 4, and 2013 August 17). We analyze whether the properties of the coronal shock associated with the origin of the events (as seen in extreme-ultraviolet and white-light coronal images) differ from those associated with SEP events observed by two or three spacecraft. For the selected events we find that the associated CMEs are, in general, narrower than those associated with SEP events observed by two or three spacecraft. The confined extension of the parent coronal shock and the absence of magnetic connection between distant spacecraft and the regions of the expanding coronal shock able to efficiently accelerate SEPs seem to be the conditions leading to intense SEP events observed only over narrow regions of interplanetary space by spacecraft magnetically connected to regions close to the parent eruption site. Weak and gradual intensity increases observed in extended regions of space might involve transport processes and/or later connections established with interplanetary shocks. Systematic analyses of a larger number of events are required before drawing firm conclusions.

Interplanetary fast shocks and associated drivers observed through the 23rd solar minimum by Wind over its first 2.5 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berdichevsky, Daniel B.; Szabo, Adam; Lepping, Ronald P.; Viñas, Adolfo F.; Mariani, Franco

2000-12-01

A list of the interplanetary shocks observed by Wind from its launch (in Nov 1994) to May 1997 is presented. The magnetohydrodynamic nature of the shocks is investigated, and the associated shock parameters and their uncertainties are accurately computed using two techniques. These are: 1) a combination of the ``preaveraged'' magnetic-coplanarity, velocity-coplanarity, and the Abraham-Schrauner-mixed methods, and 2) the Viñas and Scudder [1986] technique for solving the nonlinear least squares Rankine-Hugoniot equations. Within acceptable limits these two techniques generally gave the same results, with some exceptions. The reasons for the exceptions are discussed. The mean strength and rate of occurrence of the shocks appear to correlate with the solar cycle. Both showed a decrease in 1996 coincident with the time of the lowest ultraviolet solar radiance, indicative of solar minimum and the beginning of solar cycle 23. Eighteen shocks appeared to be associated with corotating interaction regions (CIRs). The shock normal distribution showed a mean direction peaking in the ecliptic plane and with a longitude of ~200° (GSE coordinates). Another 16 shocks were determined to be driven by solar transients, including magnetic clouds. These had a broader distribution of normal directions than those of the CIR cases with a mean direction close to the Sun-Earth line. Eight shocks of unknown origin had normal orientations far off the ecliptic plane. No shock propagated with longitude φn>=220+/-10°, i.e. against the average Parker spiral direction. Examination of the obliquity angle θBn (i.e., between the shock normal and the upstream interplanetary magnetic field) for the full set of shocks revealed that about 58% were quasi-perpendicular, and about 32% of the shocks oblique, and the rest quasi-parallel. Small uncertainty in the estimated angle θBn was obtained for about 10 shocks with magnetosonic Mach numbers between 1 and 2.

A theoretical perspective on particle acceleration by interplanetary shocks and the Solar Energetic Particle problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verkhoglyadova, Olga P.; Zank, Gary P.; Li, Gang

2015-02-01

Understanding the physics of Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) events is of importance to the general question of particle energization throughout the cosmos as well as playing a role in the technologically critical impact of space weather on society. The largest, and often most damaging, events are the so-called gradual SEP events, generally associated with shock waves driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). We review the current state of knowledge about particle acceleration at evolving interplanetary shocks with application to SEP events that occur in the inner heliosphere. Starting with a brief outline of recent theoretical progress in the field, we focus on current observational evidence that challenges conventional models of SEP events, including complex particle energy spectra, the blurring of the distinction between gradual and impulsive events, and the difference inherent in particle acceleration at quasi-parallel and quasi-perpendicular shocks. We also review the important problem of the seed particle population and its injection into particle acceleration at a shock. We begin by discussing the properties and characteristics of non-relativistic interplanetary shocks, from their formation close to the Sun to subsequent evolution through the inner heliosphere. The association of gradual SEP events with shocks is discussed. Several approaches to the energization of particles have been proposed, including shock drift acceleration, diffusive shock acceleration (DSA), acceleration by large-scale compression regions, acceleration by random velocity fluctuations (sometimes known as the "pump mechanism"), and others. We review these various mechanisms briefly and focus on the DSA mechanism. Much of our emphasis will be on our current understanding of the parallel and perpendicular diffusion coefficients for energetic particles and models of plasma turbulence in the vicinity of the shock. Because of its importance both to the DSA mechanism itself and to the particle composition of SEP events, we address in some detail the injection problem. Although steady-state models can improve our understanding of the diffusive shock acceleration mechanism, SEP events are inherently time-dependent. We therefore review the time-dependent theory of DSA in some detail, including estimating possible maximum particle energies and particle escape from the shock complex. We also discuss generalizations of the diffusive transport approach to modeling particle acceleration by considering a more general description based on the focused transport equation. The escape of accelerated particles from the shock requires that their subsequent transport in the interplanetary medium be modeled and the consequence of interplanetary transport can lead to the complex spectra and compositional profiles that are observed frequently. The different approaches to particle transport in the inner heliosphere are reviewed. The various numerical models that have been developed to solve the gradual SEP problem are reviewed. Explicit comparisons of modeling results with observations of large SEP events are discussed. A summary of current progress and the outlook on the SEP problem and remaining open questions conclude the review.

The effects of an interplanetary shock on the high-latitude ionospheric convection during an IMF By-dominated period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coco, I.; Amata, E.; Marcucci, M. F.; Ambrosino, D.; Villain, J.-P.; Hanuise, C.

2008-09-01

On 6 January 1998 an interplanetary shock hit the magnetosphere around 14:15 UT and caused a reconfiguration of the northern high-latitude ionospheric convection. We use SuperDARN, spacecraft and ground magnetometer data to study such reconfiguration. We find that the shock front was tilted towards the morning flank of the magnetosphere, while the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) was By-dominated, with By<0, IMF Bz>0 and |By|>>Bz. As expected, the magnetospheric compression started at the first impact point of the shock on the magnetopause causing an increase of the Chapman-Ferraro current from dawn to dusk and yielding an increase of the geomagnetic field at the geostationary orbit and on the ground. Moreover, the high-latitude magnetometer data show vortical structures clearly related to the interaction of the shock with the magnetosphere-ionosphere system. In this context, the SuperDARN convection maps show that at very high latitudes above the northern Cusp and in the morning sector, intense sunward convection fluxes appear, well correlated in time with the SI arrival, having a signature typical for Bz>0 dominated lobe reconnection. We suggest that in this case the dynamic pressure increase associated to the shock plays a role in favouring the setting up of a new lobe merging line albeit |By|>>Bz≥0.

Contributions to the Fourth Solar Wind Conference. [interplanetary magnetic fields and medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acuna, M. H.; Behannon, K. W.; Burlaga, L. F.; Lepping, R.; Ness, N.; Ogilvie, K.; Pizzo, J.

1979-01-01

Recent results in interplanetary physics are examined. These include observations of shock waves and post-shock magnetic fields made by Voyager 1, 2; observations of the electron temperature as a function of distance between 1.36 AU and 2.25 AU; and observations of the structure of sector boundaries observed by Helios 1. A theory of electron energy transport in the collisionless solar wind is presented, and compared with observations. Alfven waves and Alvenic fluctuations in the solar wind are also discussed.

Survival of microbial life under shock compression: implications for Panspermia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burchell, M.

2007-09-01

An analysis is carried out of the survival fraction of micro-organisms exposed to extreme shock pressures. A variety of data sources are used in this analysis. The key findings are that survival depends on the behaviour of the cell wall. Below a critical shock pressure there is a relatively slow fall in survival fraction as shock pressures increase. Above the critical threshold survival starts to fall rapidly as shock pressure increases further. The critical shock pressures found here are in the range 2.4 to 20 GPa, and vary not only from organism to organism, but also depend on the growth stage of given organisms, with starved (i.e., no growth) states favoured for survival. At the shock pressures typical of those involved in interplanetary transfer of rocky materials, the survival fractions are found to be small but finite. This lends credence to the idea of Panspermia, i.e. life may naturally migrate through space. Thus for example, Martian meteorites should not a prior be considered as sterile due to the shock processes they have undergone, but their lack of viable micro-organisms either reflects no such life being present at the source at the time of departure or the influence of other hazardous processes such as radiation in space or heating of surfaces during entry into a planetary atmosphere.

Particle acceleration due to shocks in the interplanetary field: High time resolution data and simulation results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kessel, R. L.; Armstrong, T. P.; Nuber, R.; Bandle, J.

1985-01-01

Data were examined from two experiments aboard the Explorer 50 (IMP 8) spacecraft. The Johns Hopkins University/Applied Lab Charged Particle Measurement Experiment (CPME) provides 10.12 second resolution ion and electron count rates as well as 5.5 minute or longer averages of the same, with data sampled in the ecliptic plane. The high time resolution of the data allows for an explicit, point by point, merging of the magnetic field and particle data and thus a close examination of the pre- and post-shock conditions and particle fluxes associated with large angle oblique shocks in the interplanetary field. A computer simulation has been developed wherein sample particle trajectories, taken from observed fluxes, are allowed to interact with a planar shock either forward or backward in time. One event, the 1974 Day 312 shock, is examined in detail.

Comparative study of predicted and experimentally detected interplanetary shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kartalev, M. D.; Grigorov, K. G.; Smith, Z.; Dryer, M.; Fry, C. D.; Sun, Wei; Deehr, C. S.

2002-03-01

We compare the real time space weather prediction shock arrival times at 1 AU made by the USAF/NOAA Shock Time of Arrival (STOA) and Interplanetary Shock Propagation Model (ISPM) models, and the Exploration Physics International/University of Alaska Hakamada-Akasofu-Fry Solar Wind Model (HAF-v2) to a real time analysis analysis of plasma and field ACE data. The comparison is made using an algorithm that was developed on the basis of wavelet data analysis and MHD identification procedure. The shock parameters are estimated for selected "candidate events". An appropriate automatically performing Web-based interface periodically utilizes solar wind observations made by the ACE at L1. Near real time results as well an archive of the registered interesting events are available on a specially developed web site. A number of events are considered. These studies are essential for the validation of real time space weather forecasts made from solar data.

Effects of interplanetary magnetic clouds, interaction regions, and high-speed streams on the transient modulation of galactic cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Y. P.; Badruddin

2007-02-01

Interplanetary manifestations of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) with specific plasma and field properties, called ``interplanetary magnetic clouds,'' have been observed in the heliosphere since the mid-1960s. Depending on their associated features, a set of observed magnetic clouds identified at 1 AU were grouped in four different classes using data over 4 decades: (1) interplanetary magnetic clouds moving with the ambient solar wind (MC structure), (2) magnetic clouds moving faster than the ambient solar wind and forming a shock/sheath structure of compressed plasma and field ahead of it (SMC structure), (3) magnetic clouds ``pushed'' by the high-speed streams from behind, forming an interaction region between the two (MIH structure), and (4) shock-associated magnetic clouds followed by high-speed streams (SMH structure). This classification into different groups led us to study the role, effect, and the relative importance of (1) closed field magnetic cloud structure with low field variance, (2) interplanetary shock and magnetically turbulent sheath region, (3) interaction region with large field variance, and (4) the high-speed solar wind stream coming from the open field regions, in modulating the galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). MC structures are responsible for transient decrease with fast recovery. SMC structures are responsible for fast decrease and slow recovery, MIH structures produce depression with slow decrease and slow recovery, and SMH structures are responsible for fast decrease with very slow recovery. Simultaneous variations of GCR intensity, solar plasma velocity, interplanetary magnetic field strength, and its variance led us to study the relative effectiveness of different structures as well as interplanetary plasma/field parameters. Possible role of the magnetic field, its topology, field turbulence, and the high-speed streams in influencing the amplitude and time profile of resulting decreases in GCR intensity have also been discussed.

Kinetic Properties of an Interplanetary Shock Propagating inside a Coronal Mass Ejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Mingzhe; Liu, Ying D.; Yang, Zhongwei; Wilson, L. B., III; Hu, Huidong

2018-05-01

We investigate the kinetic properties of a typical fast-mode shock inside an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) observed on 1998 August 6 at 1 au, including particle distributions and wave analysis with the in situ measurements from Wind. Key results are obtained concerning the shock and the shock–ICME interaction at kinetic scales: (1) gyrating ions, which may provide energy dissipation at the shock in addition to wave-particle interactions, are observed around the shock ramp; (2) despite the enhanced proton temperature anisotropy of the shocked plasma, the low plasma β inside the ICME constrains the shocked plasma under the thresholds of the ion cyclotron and mirror-mode instabilities; (3) whistler heat flux instabilities, which can pitch-angle scatter halo electrons through a cyclotron resonance, are observed around the shock, and can explain the disappearance of bi-directional electrons (BDEs) inside the ICME together with normal betatron acceleration; (4) whistler waves near the shock are likely associated with the whistler heat flux instabilities excited at the shock ramp, which is consistent with the result that the waves may originate from the shock ramp; (5) the whistlers share a similar characteristic with the shocklet whistlers observed by Wilson et al., providing possible evidence that the shock is decaying because of the strong magnetic field inside the ICME.

Testing model for prediction system of 1-AU arrival times of CME-associated interplanetary shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogawa, Tomoya; den, Mitsue; Tanaka, Takashi; Sugihara, Kohta; Takei, Toshifumi; Amo, Hiroyoshi; Watari, Shinichi

We test a model to predict arrival times of interplanetary shock waves associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) using a three-dimensional adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) code. The model is used for the prediction system we develop, which has a Web-based user interface and aims at people who is not familiar with operation of computers and numerical simulations or is not researcher. We apply the model to interplanetary CME events. We first choose coronal parameters so that property of background solar wind observed by ACE space craft is reproduced. Then we input CME parameters observed by SOHO/LASCO. Finally we compare the predicted arrival times with observed ones. We describe results of the test and discuss tendency of the model.

Interplanetary particles and fields, November 22 - December 6, 1977: Helios, Voyager, and IMP observations between 0.6 AU and 1.6 AU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Lepping, R. P.; Weber, R.; Armstrong, T.; Goodrich, C.; Sullivan, J.; Gurnett, D.; Kellogg, P.; Keppler, E.; Mariani, F.

1979-01-01

The principal interplanetary events observed are described and analyzed. Three flow systems were observed: (1) a corotating stream and a stream interface associated with a coronal hole; (2) a shock wave and an energetic particle event associated with a 2-B flare; and (3) an isolated shock wave of uncertain origin. Data from 28 experiments and 6 spacecraft provide measurements of solar wind plasma, magnetic fields, plasma waves, radio waves, energetic electrons, and low energy protons.

Characteristics of interplanetary type II radio emission and the relationship to shock and plasma properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lengyel-Frey, D.; Stone, R. G.

1989-01-01

A large sample of type II events is the basis of the present study of the properties of interplanetary type II bursts' radio-emission properties. Type II spectra seem to be composed of fundamental and harmonic components of plasma emission, where the intensity of the fundamental component increases relative to the harmonic as the burst evolves with heliocentric distance; burst average flux density increases as a power of the associated shock's average velocity. Solar wind density structures may have a significant influence on type II bandwidths.

Acceleration and propagation of energetic charged particles in the inner heliosphere.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallenrode, M. B.

1995-02-01

Both particle propagation and acceleration are intimately related to the strength of scattering. The author reviews some developments in our understanding of interplanetary propagation, in particular the dawn of a solution of the well-known discrepancy problem between mean free paths derived from quasi-linear theory and from fits to observational data. With this much improved understanding of particle scattering one can re-evaluate the understanding of particle acceleration at interplanetary shocks. Special attention is paid to the model of coupled hydrodynamic wave excitation and ion acceleration at shocks.

On the relationship between collisionless shock structure and energetic particle acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennel, C. F.

1983-01-01

Recent experimental research on bow shock structure and theoretical studies of quasi-parallel shock structure and shock acceleration of energetic particles were reviewed, to point out the relationship between structure and particle acceleration. The phenomenological distinction between quasi-parallel and quasi-perpendicular shocks that has emerged from bow shock research; present efforts to extend this work to interplanetary shocks; theories of particle acceleration by shocks; and particle acceleration to shock structures using multiple fluid models were discussed.

Different Types of Ion Populations Upstream of the 2013 October 8 Interplanetary Shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kajdič, Primož; Hietala, Heli; Blanco-Cano, Xóchitl

2017-11-01

We show for the first time that different types of suprathermal ion distributions may exist upstream of a single interplanetary shock. ACE and the two ARTEMIS satellites observed a shock on 2013 October 8. The ARTEMIS P1 and P2 spacecraft first observed field-aligned ions (P1) and gyrating ions (P2) arriving from the shock. These were followed by intermediate ions and later by a diffuse population. At the location of the P2 the shock exhibited an Alfvénic Mach number of M A = 5.7 and was marginally quasi-perpendicular ({θ }{Bn}=47^\\circ ). At P1 spacecraft the shock was weaker (M A = 4.9) and more perpendicular ({θ }{Bn}=61^\\circ ). Consequently, the observed suprathermal ion and ultra-low-frequency wave properties were somewhat different. At P2 the ultra-low-frequency waves are more intense and extend farther upstream from the shock. The energies of field-aligned and gyrating ions in the shock rest-frame were ˜20 keV, which is much more than in the case of the stronger (M A = 6-7) Earth’s bow shock, where they are less than 10 keV.

Kinetic Alfvén waves and particle response associated with a shock-induced, global ULF perturbation of the terrestrial magnetosphere

DOE PAGES

Malaspina, David M.; Claudepierre, Seth G.; Takahashi, Kazue; ...

2015-11-14

On 2 October 2013, the arrival of an interplanetary shock compressed the Earth's magnetosphere and triggered a global ULF (ultra low frequency) oscillation. Furthermore, the Van Allen Probe B spacecraft observed this large-amplitude ULF wave in situ with both magnetic and electric field data. Broadband waves up to approximately 100 Hz were observed in conjunction with, and modulated by, this ULF wave. Detailed analysis of fields and particle data reveals that these broadband waves are Doppler-shifted kinetic Alfvén waves. This event then suggests that magnetospheric compression by interplanetary shocks can induce abrupt generation of kinetic Alfvén waves over large portionsmore » of the inner magnetosphere, potentially driving previously unconsidered wave-particle interactions throughout the inner magnetosphere during the initial response of the magnetosphere to shock impacts.« less

The role of interplanetary shock orientation on SC/SI rise time and geoeffectiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selvakumaran, R.; Veenadhari, B.; Ebihara, Y.; Kumar, Sandeep; Prasad, D. S. V. V. D.

2017-03-01

Interplanetary (IP) shocks interact with the Earth's magnetosphere, resulting in compression of the magnetosphere which in turn increases the Earth's magnetic field termed as Sudden commencement/Sudden impulse (SC/SI). Apart from IP shock speed and solar wind dynamic pressure, IP shock orientation angle also plays a major role in deciding the SC rise time. In the present study, the IP shock orientation angle and SC/SI rise time for 179 IP shocks are estimated which occurred during solar cycle 23. More than 50% of the Shock orientations are in the range of 140°-160°. The SC/SI rise time decreases with the increase in the orientation angle and IP shock speed. In this work, the type of IP shocks i.e., Radio loud (RL) and Radio quiet (RQ) are examined in connection with SC/SI rise time. The RL associated IP shock speeds show a better correlation than RQ shocks with SC/SI rise time irrespective of the orientation angle. Magnetic Cloud (MC) associated shocks dominate in producing less rise time when compared to Ejecta (EJ) shocks. Magneto hydrodynamic (MHD) simulations are used for three different IP shock orientation categories to see the importance of orientation angle in determining the geoeffectiveness. Simulations results reveal that shocks hitting parallel to the magnetosphere are more geoeffective as compared to oblique shocks by means of change in magnetic field, pressure and Field Aligned Current (FAC).

Development of solar wind shock models with tensor plasma pressure for data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abraham-Shrauner, B.

1975-01-01

The development of solar wind shock models with tensor plasma pressure and the comparison of some of the shock models with the satellite data from Pioneer 6 through Pioneer 9 are reported. Theoretically, difficulties were found in non-turbulent fluid shock models for tensor pressure plasmas. For microscopic shock theories nonlinear growth caused by plasma instabilities was frequently not clearly demonstrated to lead to the formation of a shock. As a result no clear choice for a shock model for the bow shock or interplanetary tensor pressure shocks emerged.

Analysis of Voyager Observed High-Energy Electron Fluxes in the Heliosheath Using MHD Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Washimi, Haruichi; Webber, W. R.; Zank, Gary P.; Hu, Qiang; Florinski, Vladimir; Adams, James; Kubo, Yuki

2011-01-01

The Voyager spacecraft (V1 and V2) observed electrons of 6-14 MeV in the heliosheath which showed several incidences of flux variation relative to a background of gradually increasing flux with distance from the Sun. The increasing flux of background electrons is thought to result from inward radial diffusion. We compare the temporal electron flux variation with dynamical phenomena in the heliosheath that are obtained from our MHD simulations. Because our simulation is based on V2 observed plasma data before V2 crossed the termination shock, this analysis is effective up to late 2008, i.e., about a year after the V2-crossing, during which disturbances, driven prior to the crossing time, survived in the heliosheath. Several electron flux variations correspond to times directly associated with interplanetary shock events. One noteworthy example corresponds to various times associated with the March 2006 interplanetary shock, these being the collision with the termination shock, the passage past the V1 spacecraft, and the collision with the region near the heliopause, as identified by W.R. Webber et al. for proton/helium of 7-200 MeV. Our simulations indicate that all other electron flux variations, except one, correspond well to the times when a shock-driven magneto-sonic pulse and its reflection in the heliosheath either passed across V1/V2, or collided with the termination shock or with the plasma sheet near the heliopause. This result suggests that variation in the electron flux should be due to either direct or indirect effects of magnetosonic pulses in the heliosheath driven by interplanetary shocks

The Characteristic Response of Whistler Mode Waves to Interplanetary Shocks

DOE PAGES

Yue, Chao; Chen, Lunjin; Bortnik, Jacob; ...

2017-09-29

Magnetospheric whistler mode waves play a key role in regulating the dynamics of the electron radiation belts. Recent satellite observations indicate a significant influence of interplanetary (IP) shocks on whistler mode wave power in the inner magnetosphere. In this study, we statistically investigate the response of whistler mode chorus and plasmaspheric hiss to IP shocks based on Van Allen Probes and THEMIS satellite observations. Immediately after the IP shock arrival, chorus wave power is usually intensified, often at postmidnight to prenoon sector, while plasmaspheric hiss wave power predominantly decreases near the dayside but intensifies near the nightside. We conclude thatmore » chorus wave intensification outside the plasmasphere is probably associated with the suprathermal electron flux enhancement caused by the IP shock. Through a simple ray tracing modeling assuming the scenario that plasmaspheric hiss is originated from chorus, we find that the solar wind dynamic pressure increase changes the magnetic field configuration to favor ray penetration in the nightside and promote ray refraction away from the dayside, potentially explaining the magnetic local time–dependent responses of plasmaspheric hiss waves following IP shock arrivals.« less

The Characteristic Response of Whistler Mode Waves to Interplanetary Shocks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yue, Chao; Chen, Lunjin; Bortnik, Jacob

Magnetospheric whistler mode waves play a key role in regulating the dynamics of the electron radiation belts. Recent satellite observations indicate a significant influence of interplanetary (IP) shocks on whistler mode wave power in the inner magnetosphere. In this study, we statistically investigate the response of whistler mode chorus and plasmaspheric hiss to IP shocks based on Van Allen Probes and THEMIS satellite observations. Immediately after the IP shock arrival, chorus wave power is usually intensified, often at postmidnight to prenoon sector, while plasmaspheric hiss wave power predominantly decreases near the dayside but intensifies near the nightside. We conclude thatmore » chorus wave intensification outside the plasmasphere is probably associated with the suprathermal electron flux enhancement caused by the IP shock. Through a simple ray tracing modeling assuming the scenario that plasmaspheric hiss is originated from chorus, we find that the solar wind dynamic pressure increase changes the magnetic field configuration to favor ray penetration in the nightside and promote ray refraction away from the dayside, potentially explaining the magnetic local time–dependent responses of plasmaspheric hiss waves following IP shock arrivals.« less

A test of Lee's quasi-linear theory of ion acceleration by interplanetary traveling shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennel, C. F.; Coroniti, F. V.; Scarf, F. L.; Livesey, W. A.; Russell, C. T.; Smith, E. J.

1986-01-01

Lee's (1983) quasi-linear theory of ion acceleration is tested using ISEE-3 measurements of the November 12, 1978 quasi-parallel interplanetary shock. His theory accounts with varying degrees of precision for the energetic proton spatial profiles; the dependence of the spectral index of the power law proton velocity distribution upon the shock compression ratio; the power law dependence of the upstream proton scalelength upon energy; the absolute magnitude of the upstream proton scale length; the behavior of the energetic proton anisotropy upstream and downstream of the shock; the behavior of the alpha-particle proton ratio upstream; the equality of the spatial scale lengths at the shock of the upstream waves and of the protons that resonate with them; and the dependence of the integrated wave energy density upon the proton energy density at the shock. However, the trace magnetic field frequency spectra disagree with his theory in two ways. The part of the spectrum that can resonate with the observed protons via first-order cyclotron resonance is flat, whereas Lee's theory predicts an f exp - 7/4 frequency dependence for the November 12 shock. Higher frequency waves, which could not resonate with the observed upstream protons, increased in amplitude as the shock approached, suggesting that they too were generated by the shock.

Radiation Belt response to the July 2017 Coronal Mass Ejection and the Interplanetary Shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanekal, S. G.; Baker, D. N.; Jones, A. D.; Schiller, Q. A.; Sibeck, D. G.; Elkington, S. R.; Hoxie, V. C.; Jaynes, A. N.; Li, X.; Zhao, H.; Blake, J. B.; Claudepierre, S. G.; Fennell, J. F.; Turner, D. L.

2017-12-01

A coronal mass ejection that erupted on July 14, 2017 impacted the radiation belts on July 16, 2017 and resulted in a moderate geomagnetic storm. The immediate response of the energetic electrons to the interplanetary shock ahead of the CME, showed hock-induced energization as well as drift echoes in the L range of 4 to 5 . Increased electron fluxes were seen to energies up to 5 MeV as observed by the Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope and the Magnetic Electron and Ion Sensors on board NASA's Van Allen Probes. We report on these observations, both immediately after the IP shock passage and the more gradual response to the CME. we discuss the observation in the context of electron dynamics in the terrestrial radiation belts.

Downstream energetic proton and alpha particles during quasi-parallel interplanetary shock events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tan, L. C.; Mason, G. M.; Gloeckler, G.; Ipavich, F. M.

1988-01-01

This paper considers the energetic particle populations in the downstream region of three quasi-parallel interplanetary shock events, which was explored using the ISEE 3 Ultra Low Energy Charge Analyzer sensor, which unambiguously identifies protons and alpha particles using the electrostatic deflection versus residual energy technique. The downstream particles were found to exhibit anisotropies due largely to convection in the solar wind. The spectral indices of the proton and the alpha-particle distribution functions were found to be remarkably constant during the downstream period, being generally insensitive to changes in particle flux levels, magnetic field direction, and solar wind densities. In two of the three events, the proton and the alpha spectra were the same throughout the entire downstream period, supporting the prediction of diffusive shock acceleration theory.

Observation and Numerical Simulation of Cavity Mode Oscillations Excited by an Interplanetary Shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Kazue; Lysak, Robert; Vellante, Massimo; Kletzing, Craig A.; Hartinger, Michael D.; Smith, Charles W.

2018-03-01

Cavity mode oscillations (CMOs) are basic magnetohydrodynamic eigenmodes in the magnetosphere predicted by theory and are expected to occur following the arrival of an interplanetary shock. However, observational studies of shock-induced CMOs have been sparse. We present a case study of a dayside ultralow-frequency wave event that exhibited CMO properties. The event occurred immediately following the arrival of an interplanetary shock at 0829 UT on 15 August 2015. The shock was observed in the solar wind by the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms-B and -C spacecraft, and magnetospheric ultralow-frequency waves were observed by multiple spacecraft including the Van Allen Probe-A and Van Allen Probe-B spacecraft, which were located in the dayside plasmasphere at L ˜1.4 and L ˜ 2.4, respectively. Both Van Allen Probes spacecraft detected compressional poloidal mode oscillations at ˜13 mHz (fundamental) and ˜26 mHz (second harmonic). At both frequencies, the azimuthal component of the electric field (Eϕ) lagged behind the compressional component of the magnetic field (Bμ) by ˜90°. The frequencies and the Eϕ-Bμ relative phase are in good agreement with the CMOs generated in a dipole magnetohydrodynamic simulation that incorporates a realistic plasma mass density distribution and ionospheric boundary condition. The oscillations were also detected on the ground by the European quasi-Meridional Magnetometer Array, which was located near the magnetic field footprints of the Van Allen Probes spacecraft.

3-D model of ICME in the interplanetary medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borgazzi, A.; Lara, A.; Niembro, T.

2011-12-01

We developed a method that describes with simply geometry the coordinates of intersection between the leading edge of an ICME and the position of an arbitrary satellite. When a fast CME is ejected from the Sun to the interplanetary space in most of the cases drives a shock. As the CME moves in the corona and later in the interplanetary space more material is stacking in the front and edges of the ejecta. In a first approximation, it is possible to assume the shape of these structures, the CME and the stacked material as a cone of revolution, (the ice-cream model [Schwenn et al., (2005)]). The interface may change due to the interaction of the structure and the non-shocked material in front of the ICME but the original shape of a cone of revolution is preserved. We assume, in a three dimensional geometry, an ice-cream cone shape for the ICME and apply an analytical model for its transport in the interplanetary medium. The goal of the present method is to give the time and the intersection coordinates between the leading edge of the ICME and any satellite that may be in the path of the ICME. With this information we can modelate the travel of the ICME in the interplanetary space using STEREO data.

On Interplanetary Shocks Driven by Coronal Mass Ejections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswarmy, Nat

2011-01-01

Traveling interplanetary (IP) shocks were first detected in the early 1960s, but their solar origin has been controversial. Early research focused on solar flares as the source of the shocks, but when CMEs were discovered, it became clear that fast CMEs are the shock drivers. Type radio II bursts are excellent signatures of shocks near the Sun (Type II radio bursts were known long before the detection of shocks and CMEs). The excellent correspondence between type II bursts and solar energetic particle (SEP) events made it clear that the same shock accelerates ions and electrons. Shocks near the Sun are also seen occasionally in white-light coronagraphic images. In the solar wind, shocks are observed as discontinuities in plasma parameters such as density and speed. Energetic storm particle events and sudden commencement of geomagnetic storm are also indicators of shocks arriving at Earth. After an overview on these shock signatures, I will summarize the results of a recent investigation of a large number of IP shocks. The study revealed that about 35% of IP shocks do not produce type II bursts (radio quiet - RQ) or SEPs. Comparing the RQ shocks with the radio loud (RL) ones revealed some interesting results: (1) There is no evidence for blast wave shocks. (2) A small fraction (20%) of RQ shocks is associated with ion enhancements at the shock when the shock passes the spacecraft. (3) The primary difference between the RQ and RL shocks can be traced to the different kinematic properties of the associated CMEs. On the other hand the shock properties measured at 1 AU are not too different for the RQ and RL cases. This can be attributed to the interaction with the IP medium, which seems to erase the difference between the shocks.

Energetic ion acceleration at collisionless shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Decker, R. B.; Vlahos, L.

1985-01-01

An example is presented from a test particle simulation designed to study ion acceleration at oblique turbulent shocks. For conditions appropriate at interplanetary shocks near 1 AU, it is found that a shock with theta sub B n = 60 deg is capable of producing an energy spectrum extending from 10 keV to approx. 1 MeV in approx 1 hour. In this case total energy gains result primarily from several separate episodes of shock drift acceleration, each of which occurs when particles are scattered back to the shock by magnetic fluctuations in the shock vicinity.

Effective Acceleration Model for the Arrival Time of Interplanetary Shocks driven by Coronal Mass Ejections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paouris, Evangelos; Mavromichalaki, Helen

2017-12-01

In a previous work (Paouris and Mavromichalaki in Solar Phys. 292, 30, 2017), we presented a total of 266 interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) with as much information as possible. We developed a new empirical model for estimating the acceleration of these events in the interplanetary medium from this analysis. In this work, we present a new approach on the effective acceleration model (EAM) for predicting the arrival time of the shock that preceds a CME, using data of a total of 214 ICMEs. For the first time, the projection effects of the linear speed of CMEs are taken into account in this empirical model, which significantly improves the prediction of the arrival time of the shock. In particular, the mean value of the time difference between the observed time of the shock and the predicted time was equal to +3.03 hours with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 18.58 hours and a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 22.47 hours. After the improvement of this model, the mean value of the time difference is decreased to -0.28 hours with an MAE of 17.65 hours and an RMSE of 21.55 hours. This improved version was applied to a set of three recent Earth-directed CMEs reported in May, June, and July of 2017, and we compare our results with the values predicted by other related models.

Solar Wind drivers affecting GIC magnitude in New Zealand.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mac Manus, D. H.; Rodger, C. J.; Dalzell, M.; Petersen, T.; Clilverd, M. A.

2017-12-01

Interplanetary shocks arriving at the Earth drive magnetosphere and ionosphere current systems. Ground based magnetometers detect the time derivation of the horizontal magnetic field (dBH/dt) which can indicate the strength of these ionospheric currents. The strong dBH/dt spikes have been observed to cause large Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GIC) in New Zealand. Such could, potentially lead to large scale damage to technological infrastructure such as power network transformers; one transformer was written off in New Zealand after a sudden commencement on 6 November 2001. The strength of the incoming interplanetary shocks are monitored by satellite measurements undertaken at the L1 point. Such measurements could give power network operators a 20-60 minute warning before potentially damaging GIC occurs. In this presentation we examine solar wind measurements from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), Wind, and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). We contrast those solar wind observations with GIC measured in New Zealand's South Island from 2001 to 2016. We are searching for a consistent relationship between the incoming interplanetary shock and the GIC magnitude. Such a relationship would allow Transpower New Zealand Limited a small time window to implement mitigation plans in order to restrict any GIC-caused damage.

Observations of Electromagnetic Whistler Precursors at Supercritical Interplanetary Shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, L. B., III; Koval, A.; Szabo, Adam; Breneman, A.; Cattell, C. A.; Goetz, K.; Kellogg, P. J.; Kersten, K.; Kasper, J. C.; Maruca, B. A.;

Landau damping and steepening of interplanetary nonlinear hydromagnetic waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, A.; Chao, J. K.

1977-01-01

According to collisionless shock theories, the thickness of a shock front should be of the order of the characteristic lengths of the plasmas (the Debye length, the proton and Larmor radii, etc.). Chao and Lepping (1974), found, however, that 30% of the observed interplanetary shocks at 1 AU have thicknesses much larger than these characteristic lengths. It is the objective of the present paper to investigate whether the competition between nonlinear steepening and Landau damping can result in a wave of finite width that does not steepen into a shock. A heuristic model of such a wave is developed and tested by the examples of two structures that are qualitatively shocklike, but thicker than expected from theory. It is found that both events are in the process of steepening and their limiting thicknesses due to Landau damping are greater than the corresponding proton Larmor radius for both structures as observed at Mariner 5 (nearer the sun than 1 AU) but are comparable to the proton Larmor radius for Explorer (near 1 AU) observations.

Plasma properties of driver gas following interplanetary shocks observed by ISEE-3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zwickl, R. D.; Asbridge, J. R.; Bame, S. J.; Feldman, W. C.; Gosling, J. T.; Smith, E. J.

1983-01-01

Plasma fluid parameters calculated from solar wind and magnetic field data to determine the characteristic properties of driver gas following a select subset of interplanetary shocks were studied. Of 54 shocks observed from August 1978 to February 1980, 9 contained a well defined driver gas that was clearly identifiable by a discontinuous decrease in the average proton temperature. While helium enhancements were present downstream of the shock in all 9 of these events, only about half of them contained simultaneous changes in the two quantities. Simultaneous with the drop in proton temperature the helium and electron temperature decreased abruptly. In some cases the proton temperature depression was accompanied by a moderate increase in magnetic field magnitude with an unusually low variance, by a small decrease in the variance of the bulk velocity, and by an increase in the ratio of parallel to perpendicular temperature. The cold driver gas usually displayed a bidirectional flow of suprathermal solar wind electrons at higher energies.

Particle acceleration and transport at a 2D CME-driven shock using the HAFv3 and PATH Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, G.; Ao, X.; Fry, C. D.; Verkhoglyadova, O. P.; Zank, G. P.

2012-12-01

We study particle acceleration at a 2D CME-driven shock and the subsequent transport in the inner heliosphere (up to 2 AU) by coupling the kinematic Hakamada-Akasofu-Fry version 3 (HAFv3) solar wind model (Hakamada and Akasofu, 1982, Fry et al. 2003) with the Particle Acceleration and Transport in the Heliosphere (PATH) model (Zank et al., 2000, Li et al., 2003, 2005, Verkhoglyadova et al. 2009). The HAFv3 provides the evolution of a two-dimensional shock geometry and other plasma parameters, which are fed into the PATH model to investigate the effect of a varying shock geometry on particle acceleration and transport. The transport module of the PATH model is parallelized and utilizes the state-of-the-art GPU computation technique to achieve a rapid physics-based numerical description of the interplanetary energetic particles. Together with a fast execution of the HAFv3 model, the coupled code gives us a possibility to nowcast/forecast the interplanetary radiation environment.

SOLAR INTERACTING PROTONS VERSUS INTERPLANETARY PROTONS IN THE CORE PLUS HALO MODEL OF DIFFUSIVE SHOCK ACCELERATION AND STOCHASTIC RE-ACCELERATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kocharov, L.; Laitinen, T.; Vainio, R.

2015-06-10

With the first observations of solar γ-rays from the decay of pions, the relationship of protons producing ground level enhancements (GLEs) on the Earth to those of similar energies producing the γ-rays on the Sun has been debated. These two populations may be either independent and simply coincident in large flares, or they may be, in fact, the same population stemming from a single accelerating agent and jointly distributed at the Sun and also in space. Assuming the latter, we model a scenario in which particles are accelerated near the Sun in a shock wave with a fraction transported backmore » to the solar surface to radiate, while the remainder is detected at Earth in the form of a GLE. Interplanetary ions versus ions interacting at the Sun are studied for a spherical shock wave propagating in a radial magnetic field through a highly turbulent radial ray (the acceleration core) and surrounding weakly turbulent sector in which the accelerated particles can propagate toward or away from the Sun. The model presented here accounts for both the first-order Fermi acceleration at the shock front and the second-order, stochastic re-acceleration by the turbulence enhanced behind the shock. We find that the re-acceleration is important in generating the γ-radiation and we also find that up to 10% of the particle population can find its way to the Sun as compared to particles escaping to the interplanetary space.« less

Prediction system of the 1-AU arrival times of CME-associated interplanetary shocks using three-dimensional simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

den, Mitsue; Amo, Hiroyoshi; Sugihara, Kohta; Takei, Toshifumi; Ogawa, Tomoya; Tanaka, Takashi; Watari, Shinichi

We describe prediction system of the 1-AU arrival times of interplanetary shock waves associated with coromal mass ejections (CMEs). The system is based on modeling of the shock propagation using a three-dimensional adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) code. Once a CME is observed by LASCO/SOHO, firstly ambient solar wind is obtained by numerical simulation, which reproduces the solar wind parameters at that time observed by ACE spacecraft. Then we input the expansion speed and occurrence position data of that CME as initial condtions for an CME model, and 3D simulation of the CME and the shock propagation is perfomed until the shock wave passes the 1-AU. Input the parameters, execution of simulation and output of the result are available on Web, so a person who is not familiar with operation of computer or simulations or is not a researcher can use this system to predict the shock passage time. Simulated CME and shock evolution is visuallized at the same time with simulation and snap shots appear on the web automatically, so that user can follow the propagation. This system is expected to be useful for forecasters of space weather. We will describe the system and simulation model in detail.

Comparison of CME/Shock Propagation Models with Heliospheric Imaging and In Situ Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xinhua; Liu, Ying D.; Inhester, Bernd; Feng, Xueshang; Wiegelmann, Thomas; Lu, Lei

2016-10-01

The prediction of the arrival time for fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and their associated shocks is highly desirable in space weather studies. In this paper, we use two shock propagation models, I.e., Data Guided Shock Time Of Arrival (DGSTOA) and Data Guided Shock Propagation Model (DGSPM), to predict the kinematical evolution of interplanetary shocks associated with fast CMEs. DGSTOA is based on the similarity theory of shock waves in the solar wind reference frame, and DGSPM is based on the non-similarity theory in the stationary reference frame. The inputs are the kinematics of the CME front at the maximum speed moment obtained from the geometric triangulation method applied to STEREO imaging observations together with the Harmonic Mean approximation. The outputs provide the subsequent propagation of the associated shock. We apply these models to the CMEs on 2012 January 19, January 23, and March 7. We find that the shock models predict reasonably well the shock’s propagation after the impulsive acceleration. The shock’s arrival time and local propagation speed at Earth predicted by these models are consistent with in situ measurements of WIND. We also employ the Drag-Based Model (DBM) as a comparison, and find that it predicts a steeper deceleration than the shock models after the rapid deceleration phase. The predictions of DBM at 1 au agree with the following ICME or sheath structure, not the preceding shock. These results demonstrate the applicability of the shock models used here for future arrival time prediction of interplanetary shocks associated with fast CMEs.

Interplanetary Fast Shocks and Associated Drivers Observed through the Twenty-Third Solar Minimum by WIND Over its First 2.5 Years

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mariani, F.; Berdichevsky, D.; Szabo, A.; Lepping, R. P.; Vinas, A. F.

1999-01-01

A list of the interplanetary (IP) shocks observed by WIND from its launch (in November 1994) to May 1997 is presented. Forty two shocks were identified. The magnetohydrodynamic nature of the shocks is investigated, and the associated shock parameters and their uncertainties are accurately computed using a practical scheme which combines two techniques. These techniques are a combination of the "pre-averaged" magnetic-coplanarity, velocity-coplanarity, and the Abraham-Schrauner-mixed methods, on the one hand, and the Vinas and Scudder [1986] technique for solving the non-linear least-squares Rankine-Hugoniot shock equations, on the other. Within acceptable limits these two techniques generally gave the same results, with some exceptions. The reasons for the exceptions are discussed. It is found that the mean strength and rate of occurrence of the shocks appears to correlated with the solar cycle. Both showed a decrease in 1996 coincident with the time of the lowest ultraviolet solar radiance, indicative of solar minimum and start of solar cycle 23, which began around June 1996. Eighteen shocks appeared to be associated with corotating interaction regions (CIRs). The distribution of their shock normals showed a mean direction peaking in the ecliptic plane and with a longitude (phi(sub n)) in that plane between perpendicular to the Parker spiral and radial from the Sun. When grouped according to the sense of the direction of propagation of the shocks the mean azimuthal (longitude) angle in GSE coordinates was approximately 194 deg for the fast-forward and approximately 20 deg for the fast-reverse shocks. Another 16 shocks were determined to be driven by solar transients, including magnetic clouds. These shocks had a broader distribution of normal directions than those of the CIR cases with a mean direction close to the Sun-Earth line. Eight shocks of unknown origin had normal orientation well off the ecliptic plane. No shock propagated with longitude phi(sub n) >= 220 +/- 10 deg, this would suggest strong hindrance to the propagation of shocks contra a rather tightly winding Parker spiral. Examination of the obliquity angle theta(sub Bn) (that between the shock normal and the upstream interplanetary magnetic field) for the full set of shocks revealed that about 58% was quasi-perpendicular, and some were very nearly perpendicular. About 32% of the shocks were oblique, and the rest (only 10%) were quasi-parallel, with one on Dec. 9, 1996 that showed field pulsations. Small uncertainty in the estimated angle theta(sub Bn) was obtained for about 10 shocks with magnetosonic Mach numbers between 1 and 2, hopefully significantly contributing to studies researching particle acceleration mechanisms at IP shocks, and to investigations where accurate values of theta(sub Bn) are crucial.

Superthermal (0.5- 100 keV) Electrons near the ICME-driven shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, L.; Wang, L.; Li, G.; Tao, J.; He, J.; Tu, C.

2016-12-01

We present a survey of the 0.5 - 100 keV electrons associated with ICME-driven shocks at 1 AU, using the WIND/3DP electron measurements from 1995 to 2014. We select 66 good ICME-driven shocks, and use the "Rankine-Hugoniot" shock fitting technique to obtain the shock normal, shock velocity Vs, shock compression ratio r and magnetosonic Mach number Ms. We average the electron data in the 1-hour interval immediately after the shock front to obtain the sheath electron fluxes and in the 4-hour quiet-time interval before the shock to obtain the pre-event electron fluxes. Then we subtract the pre-event electron fluxes from the sheath electron fluxes to obtain the enhanced electron fluxes at the shock. We find that the enhanced electron fluxes are positively correlated with Vs and Ms, and generally fit well to a double power-law spectrum, J E-β. At 0.5 - 2 keV, the fitted spectral index β1 ranges from 2.1 to 5.9, negatively correlated with r and Ms. At 2 - 100 keV, the fitted index β2 is smaller than β1, with values ( 1.9 to 3.4) similar to the spectral indexes of quiet-time superhalo electrons in the solar wind. β2 shows no obvious correlation with r and Ms. Neither of β1 or β2 is in agreement with the diffusive shock theoretical predication. These results suggest that electron acceleration by interplanetary shocks may be more significant at a few keVs and the interplanetary shock acceleration can contribute to the production of solar wind superhalo electrons. However, a revision of the diffusive shock acceleration theory would be needed for the electron acceleration.

Bi-directional streaming of halo electrons in interplanetary plasma clouds observed between 0.3 and 1 AU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivory, K.; Schwenn, R.

1995-01-01

The solar wind data obtained from the two Helios solar probes in the years 1974 to 1986 were systematically searched for the occurrence of bi-directional electron events. Most often these events are found in conjunction with shock associated magnetic clouds. The implications of these observations for the topology of interplanetary plasma clouds are discussed.

Radio-Loud Coronal Mass Ejections Without Shocks Near Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswamy, N.; SaintCyr, O. C.; MacDowall, R. J.; Kaiser, M. L.; Xie, H.; Makela, P.; Akiyama, S.

2010-01-01

Type II radio bursts are produced by low energy electrons accelerated in shocks driven by corona) mass ejections (CMEs). One can infer shocks near the Sun, in the Interplanetary medium, and near Earth depending on the wavelength range in which the type II bursts are produced. In fact, type II bursts are good indicators of CMEs that produce solar energetic particles. If the type 11 burst occurs from a source on the Earth-facing side of the solar disk, it is highly likely that a shock arrives at Earth in 2-3 days and hence can be used to predict shock arrival at Earth. However, a significant fraction of CMEs producing type II bursts were not associated shocks at Earth, even though the CMEs originated close to the disk center. There are several reasons for the lack of shock at 1 AU. CMEs originating at large central meridian distances (CMDs) may be driving a shock, but the shock may not be extended sufficiently to reach to the Sun-Earth line. Another possibility is CME cannibalism because of which shocks merge and one observes a single shock at Earth. Finally, the CME-driven shock may become weak and dissipate before reaching 1 AU. We examined a set of 30 type II bursts observed by the Wind/WAVES experiment that had the solar sources very close to the disk center (within a CMD of 15 degrees), but did not have shock at Earth. We find that the near-Sun speeds of the associated CMEs average to approx.600 km/s, only slightly higher than the average speed of CMEs associated with radio-quiet shocks. However, the fraction of halo CMEs is only approx.28%, compared to 40% for radio-quiet shocks and 72% for all radio-loud shocks. We conclude that the disk-center radio loud CMEs with no shocks at 1 AU are generally of lower energy and they drive shocks only close to the Sun.

Statistical analysis of mirror mode waves in sheath regions driven by interplanetary coronal mass ejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ala-Lahti, Matti M.; Kilpua, Emilia K. J.; Dimmock, Andrew P.; Osmane, Adnane; Pulkkinen, Tuija; Souček, Jan

2018-05-01

We present a comprehensive statistical analysis of mirror mode waves and the properties of their plasma surroundings in sheath regions driven by interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME). We have constructed a semi-automated method to identify mirror modes from the magnetic field data. We analyze 91 ICME sheath regions from January 1997 to April 2015 using data from the Wind spacecraft. The results imply that similarly to planetary magnetosheaths, mirror modes are also common structures in ICME sheaths. However, they occur almost exclusively as dip-like structures and in mirror stable plasma. We observe mirror modes throughout the sheath, from the bow shock to the ICME leading edge, but their amplitudes are largest closest to the shock. We also find that the shock strength (measured by Alfvén Mach number) is the most important parameter in controlling the occurrence of mirror modes. Our findings suggest that in ICME sheaths the dominant source of free energy for mirror mode generation is the shock compression. We also suggest that mirror modes that are found deeper in the sheath are remnants from earlier times of the sheath evolution, generated also in the vicinity of the shock.

Data reduction and analysis of ISEE magnetometer experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, C. T.

1982-01-01

The ISEE-1 and -2 magnetometer data was reduced. The up and downstream turbulence associated with interplanetary shocks were studied, including methods of determining shock normals, and the similarities and differences in laminar and quasi-laminar shock structure. The associated up and downstream turbulence was emphasized. The distributions of flux transfer events, field aligned currents in the near tail, and substorm dynamics in the magnetotail were also investigated.

Interplanetary energetic particle observations of the March 1989 events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sarris, E. T.; Krimigis, S. M.

1989-01-01

The IMP-8 spacecraft placed in an elongated orbit of approximately R(sub E) x R(sub E) orbit around the Earth was the only monitor of the energetic particle environment of the near interplanetary space during the period of the solar particle events associated with the Active Region 5395 in March 1989. Measurements of energetic ion and electron intensities were obtained in a series of channels within the energy range: 0.3 to 440 MeV for photons, 0.6 to 52 MeV/nuc for alpha particles, 0.7 to 3.3 MeV/nuc for nuclei with Z greater than or equal to 3, 3 to 9 MeV/nuc with Z greater than or equal to 20, and 0.2 to 2.5 MeV for electrons. The responses of selected energy channels during the period 5 to 23 March 1989 are displayed. It is clearly noted that the most prominent energetic ion intensity enhancements in that time interval were associated with the interplanetary shock wave of March 13 (07:42 UT) as well as that of March 8 (17:56 UT), which have distinct particle acceleration signatures. These shock waves play a major role in determining the near Earth energetic ion intensities during the above period by accelerating and modulating the ambient solar energetic particle population, which was already present in high intensities in the interplanetary medium due to the superposition of a series of solar flare particle events originating in AR 5395. The differential ion intensities at the lowest energy channel of the CPME experiment, which were associated with the March 13 shock wave, reached the highest level in the life of the IMP-8 spacecraft at this energy. At high energies, the shock associated intensity peak was smaller by less than a factor of 3 than the maxima of solar flare particle intensities from some other major flares, in particular from those with sites well connected to the Earth's magnetic flux tubes.

Magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the interaction between two interplanetary magnetic clouds and its consequent geoeffectiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Ming; Zheng, Huinan; Wu, S. T.; Wang, Yuming; Wang, Shui

2007-11-01

Numerical studies of the interplanetary "multiple magnetic clouds (Multi-MC)" are performed by a 2.5-dimensional ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model in the heliospheric meridional plane. Both slow MC1 and fast MC2 are initially emerged along the heliospheric equator, one after another with different time intervals. The coupling of two MCs could be considered as the comprehensive interaction between two systems, each comprising of an MC body and its driven shock. The MC2-driven shock and MC2 body are successively involved into interaction with MC1 body. The momentum is transferred from MC2 to MC1. After the passage of MC2-driven shock front, magnetic field lines in MC1 medium previously compressed by MC2-driven shock are prevented from being restored by the MC2 body pushing. MC1 body undergoes the most violent compression from the ambient solar wind ahead, continuous penetration of MC2-driven shock through MC1 body, and persistent pushing of MC2 body at MC1 tail boundary. As the evolution proceeds, the MC1 body suffers from larger and larger compression, and its original vulnerable magnetic elasticity becomes stiffer and stiffer. So there exists a maximum compressibility of Multi-MC when the accumulated elasticity can balance the external compression. This cutoff limit of compressibility mainly decides the maximally available geoeffectiveness of Multi-MC because the geoeffectiveness enhancement of MCs interacting is ascribed to the compression. Particularly, the greatest geoeffectiveness is excited among all combinations of each MC helicity, if magnetic field lines in the interacting region of Multi-MC are all southward. Multi-MC completes its final evolutionary stage when the MC2-driven shock is merged with MC1-driven shock into a stronger compound shock. With respect to Multi-MC geoeffectiveness, the evolution stage is a dominant factor, whereas the collision intensity is a subordinate one. The magnetic elasticity, magnetic helicity of each MC, and compression between each other are the key physical factors for the formation, propagation, evolution, and resulting geoeffectiveness of interplanetary Multi-MC.

The Roles of Flares and Shocks in determining SEP Abundances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cane, H. V.; Mewaldt, R. A.; Cohen, C. M. S.; vonRosenvinge, T. T.

2007-01-01

We examine solar energetic particle (SEP) event-averaged abundances of Fe relative to O and intensity versus time profiles at energies above 25 MeV/nucleon using the SIS instrument on ACE. These data are compared with solar wind conditions during each event and with estimates of the strength of the associated shock based on average travel times to 1 AU. We find that the majority of events with an Fe to 0 abundance ratio greater than two times the average 5-12 MeV/nuc value for large SEP events (0.134) occur in the western hemisphere. Furthermore, in most of these Fe-rich events the profiles peak within 12 hours of the associated flare, suggesting that some of the observed interplanetary particles are accelerated in these flares. The vast majority of events with Fe/O below 0.134 are influenced by interplanetary shock acceleration. We suggest that variations in elemental composition in SEP events mainly arise from the combination of flare particles and shock acceleration of these particles and/or the ambient medium.

Sheath-accumulating Propagation of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Takuya; Shibata, Kazunari

2017-03-01

Fast interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are the drivers of strong space weather storms such as solar energetic particle events and geomagnetic storms. The connection between the space-weather-impacting solar wind disturbances associated with fast ICMEs at Earth and the characteristics of causative energetic CMEs observed near the Sun is a key question in the study of space weather storms, as well as in the development of practical space weather prediction. Such shock-driving fast ICMEs usually expand at supersonic speeds during the propagation, resulting in the continuous accumulation of shocked sheath plasma ahead. In this paper, we propose a “sheath-accumulating propagation” (SAP) model that describes the coevolution of the interplanetary sheath and decelerating ICME ejecta by taking into account the process of upstream solar wind plasma accumulation within the sheath region. Based on the SAP model, we discuss (1) ICME deceleration characteristics; (2) the fundamental condition for fast ICMEs at Earth; (3) the thickness of interplanetary sheaths; (4) arrival time prediction; and (5) the super-intense geomagnetic storms associated with huge solar flares. We quantitatively show that not only the speed but also the mass of the CME are crucial for discussing the above five points. The similarities and differences between the SAP model, the drag-based model, and the“snow-plow” model proposed by Tappin are also discussed.

Suprathermal ion detector results from Apollo missions.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freeman, J. W., Jr.

1972-01-01

This paper reviews briefly the knowledge of the ion environment of the moon as obtained from the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, Suprathermal Ion Detector Experiment. Topics to be discussed include: an interplanetary shock as seen from the lunar surface; bow shock and magnetosheath ions; magnetotail plasma seen during a magnetic disturbance; suprathermal ions seen during passage of the sunset and sunrise terminators; and ions associated with neutral gas clouds in the vicinity of the moon, and in particular the low energy mono-energetic spectrum of these ions. It is believed that these low energy spectra and some terminator ions can be explained by ion acceleration by the interplanetary electric field. This paper serves as catalog to references to these and other related phenomena.

Interplanetary Propagation Behavior of the Fast Coronal Mass Ejection on 23 July 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Temmer, M.; Nitta, N. V.

2015-03-01

The fast coronal mass ejection (CME) on 23 July 2012 caused attention because of its extremely short transit time from the Sun to 1 AU, which was shorter than 21 h. In situ data from STEREO-A revealed the arrival of a fast forward shock with a speed of more than 2200 km s-1 followed by a magnetic structure moving with almost 1900 km s-1. We investigate the propagation behavior of the CME shock and magnetic structure with the aim to reproduce the short transit time and high impact speed as derived from in situ data. We carefully measured the 3D kinematics of the CME using the graduated cylindrical shell model and obtained a maximum speed of 2580±280 km s-1 for the CME shock and 2270±420 km s-1 for its magnetic structure. Based on the 3D kinematics, the drag-based model (DBM) reproduces the observational data reasonably well. To successfully simulate the CME shock, the ambient flow speed needs to have an average value close to the slow solar wind speed (450 km s-1), and the initial shock speed at a distance of 30 R ⊙ should not exceed ≈ 2300 km s-1, otherwise it would arrive much too early at STEREO-A. The model results indicate that an extremely small aerodynamic drag force is exerted on the shock, smaller by one order of magnitude than average. As a consequence, the CME hardly decelerates in interplanetary space and maintains its high initial speed. The low aerodynamic drag can only be reproduced when the density of the ambient solar wind flow, in which the fast CME propagates, is decreased to ρ sw=1 - 2 cm-3 at the distance of 1 AU. This result is consistent with the preconditioning of interplanetary space by a previous CME.

Electron Surfing Acceleration in High Mach Number Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoshino, M.; Amano, T.; Matsumoto, Y.

2016-12-01

Many energetic events associated with shock waves have been argued in this context of the diffusive shock acceleration (DSA), and the origin of high-energy particles observed in astrophysical shocks are believed to be attributed to DSA. However, electron nonthermal acceleration still remains an unresolved issue of considerable interest. While cosmic rays of supernova remnant shocks with power-law spectra are believed to be produced by DSA, energetic electrons with a power-law energy spectrum are rarely ever observed at interplanetary shocks and at planetary bow shocks (e.g., Lario et al. 2003), and the diffusive-type acceleration seems to be necessarily malfunctioning in the heliosphere. The malfunctioning reason is thought to be a lack of pre-acceleration mechanism of supra-thermal electrons.In this presentation, we propose that the supra-thermal electrons can be generated by the mechanism of shock surfing acceleration (SSA) in a high Mach number magnetosonic shock. In the surfing mechanism, a series of large-amplitude electrostatic waves are excited by Buneman instability in the foot region under the interaction between the reflected ions and the incoming electrons, and it is argued that the electrons trapped in the electrostatic waves can be accelerated up to a relativistic energy (Hoshino and Shimada, 2002). Since the electron SSA has been studied based on one- or two-dimensional PIC simulations so far, SSA in three-dimensional system is questionable and remains an open question. We discuss based on our theoretical model and three-dimensional PIC simulation with a high-performance computing that the efficiency of SSA in three-dimensional system remains amazingly strong and plays an important role on the electron pre-acceleration/injection problem.

Influence of thermal anisotropy on best-fit estimates of shock normals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lepping, R. P.

1971-01-01

The influence of thermal anisotropy on the estimates of interplanetary shock parameters and the associated normals is discussed. A practical theorem is presented for quantitatively correcting for anisotropic effects by weighting the before and after magnetic fields by the same anisotropy parameter h. The quantity h depends only on the thermal anisotropies before and after the shock and on the angles between the magnetic fields and the shock normal. The theorem can be applied to most slow shocks, but in those cases h usually should be lower, and sometimes markedly lower, than unity. For the extreme values of h, little change results in the shock parameters or in the shock normal.

Diffuse Interplanetary Radio Emission (DIRE) Accompanying Type II Radio Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teklu, T. B.; Gopalswamy, N.; Makela, P. A.; Yashiro, S.; Akiyama, S.; Xie, H.

2015-12-01

We report on an unusual drifting feature in the radio dynamic spectra at frequencies below 14 MHz observed by the Radio and Plasma Wave (WAVES) experiment on board the Wind spacecraft. We call this feature as "Diffuse Interplanetary Radio Emission (DIRE)". The DIRE events are generally associated with intense interplanetary type II radio bursts produced by shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). DIREs drift like type II bursts in the dynamic spectra, but the drifting feature consist of a series of short-duration spikes (similar to a type I chain). DIREs occur at higher frequencies than the associated type II bursts, with no harmonic relationship with the type II burst. The onset of DIREs is delayed by several hours from the onset of the eruption. Comparing the radio dynamic spectra with white-light observations from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission, we find that the CMEs are generally very energetic (fast and mostly halos). We suggest that the DIRE source is typically located at the flanks of the CME-driven shock that is still at lower heliocentric distances.

Plasma properties of driver gas following interplanetary shocks observed by ISEE-3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zwickl, R. D.; Ashbridge, J. R.; Bame, S. J.; Feldman, W. C.; Gosling, J. T.; Smith, E. J.

1982-01-01

Plasma fluid parameters calculated from solar wind and magnetic field data obtained on ISEE 3 were studied. The characteristic properties of driver gas following interplanetary shocks was determined. Of 54 shocks observed from August 1978 to February 1980, nine contained a well defined driver gas that was clearly identifiable by a discontinuous decrease in the average proton temperature across a tangential discontinuity. While helium enhancements were present in all of nine of these events, only about half of them contained simultaneous changes in the two quantities. Often the He/H ratio changed over a period of minutes. Simultaneous with the drop in proton temperature the helium and electron temperature decreased abruptly. In some cases the proton temperature depression was accompanied by a moderate increase in magnetic field magnitude with an unusually low variance and by an increase in the ratio of parallel to perpendicular temperature. The drive gas usually displayed a bidirectional flow of suprathermal solar wind electrons at higher energies.

Thermospheric Nitric Oxide Response to Shock-led Storms

PubMed Central

Knipp, D. J.; Pette, D. V.; Kilcommons, L. M.; Isaacs, T. L.; Cruz, A. A.; Mlynczak, M. G.; Hunt, L. A.; Lin, C. Y.

2017-01-01

We present a multi-year superposed epoch study of the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry nitric oxide (NO) emission data. NO is a trace constituent in the thermosphere that acts as cooling agent via infrared (IR) emissions. The NO cooling competes with storm time thermospheric heating resulting in a thermostat effect. Our study of nearly 200 events reveals that shock-led interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are prone to early and excessive thermospheric NO production and IR emissions. Excess NO emissions can arrest thermospheric expansion by cooling the thermosphere during intense storms. The strongest events curtail the interval of neutral density increase and produce a phenomenon known as thermospheric ‘overcooling’. We use Defense Meteorological Satellite Program particle precipitation data to show that interplanetary shocks and their ICME drivers can more than double the fluxes of precipitating particles that are known to trigger the production of thermospheric NO. Coincident increases in Joule heating likely amplify the effect. In turn, NO emissions more than double. We discuss the roles and features of shock/sheath structures that allow the thermosphere to temper the effects of extreme storm time energy input and explore the implication these structures may have on mesospheric NO. Shock-driven thermospheric NO IR cooling likely plays an important role in satellite drag forecasting challenges during extreme events. PMID:28824340

Thermospheric Nitric Oxide Response to Shock-led Storms.

PubMed

Knipp, D J; Pette, D V; Kilcommons, L M; Isaacs, T L; Cruz, A A; Mlynczak, M G; Hunt, L A; Lin, C Y

2017-02-01

We present a multi-year superposed epoch study of the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry nitric oxide (NO) emission data. NO is a trace constituent in the thermosphere that acts as cooling agent via infrared (IR) emissions. The NO cooling competes with storm time thermospheric heating resulting in a thermostat effect. Our study of nearly 200 events reveals that shock-led interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are prone to early and excessive thermospheric NO production and IR emissions. Excess NO emissions can arrest thermospheric expansion by cooling the thermosphere during intense storms. The strongest events curtail the interval of neutral density increase and produce a phenomenon known as thermospheric 'overcooling'. We use Defense Meteorological Satellite Program particle precipitation data to show that interplanetary shocks and their ICME drivers can more than double the fluxes of precipitating particles that are known to trigger the production of thermospheric NO. Coincident increases in Joule heating likely amplify the effect. In turn, NO emissions more than double. We discuss the roles and features of shock/sheath structures that allow the thermosphere to temper the effects of extreme storm time energy input and explore the implication these structures may have on mesospheric NO. Shock-driven thermospheric NO IR cooling likely plays an important role in satellite drag forecasting challenges during extreme events.

MULTI-SPACECRAFT ANALYSIS OF ENERGETIC HEAVY ION AND INTERPLANETARY SHOCK PROPERTIES IN ENERGETIC STORM PARTICLE EVENTS NEAR 1 au

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ebert, R. W.; Dayeh, M. A.; Desai, M. I.

2016-11-10

We examine the longitude distribution of and relationship between interplanetary (IP) shock properties and ∼0.1–20 MeV nucleon{sup -1} O and Fe ions during seven multi-spacecraft energetic storm particle (ESP) events at 1 au. These ESP events were observed at two spacecraft and were primarily associated with low Mach number, quasi-perpendicular shocks. Key observations include the following: (i) the Alfvén Mach number increased from east to west of the coronal mass ejection source longitude, while the shock speed, compression ratios, and obliquity showed no clear dependence; (ii) the O and Fe time intensity profiles and peak intensities varied significantly between longitudinallymore » separated spacecraft observing the same event, the peak intensities being larger near the nose and smaller along the flank of the IP shock; (iii) the O and Fe peak intensities had weak to no correlations with the shock parameters; (iv) the Fe/O time profiles showed intra-event variations upstream of the shock that disappeared downstream of the shock, where values plateaued to those comparable to the mean Fe/O of solar cycle 23; (v) the O and Fe spectral index ranged from ∼1.0 to 3.4, the Fe spectra being softer in most events; and (vi) the observed spectral index was softer than the value predicted from the shock compression ratio in most events. We conclude that while the variations in IP shock properties may account for some variations in O and Fe properties within these multi-spacecraft events, detailed examination of the upstream seed population and IP turbulence, along with modeling, are required to fully characterize these observations.« less

Study of Travelling Interplanetary Phenomena Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dryer, Murray

1987-09-01

Scientific progress on the topic of energy, mass, and momentum transport from the Sun into the heliosphere is contingent upon interdisciplinary and international cooperative efforts on the part of many workers. Summarized here is a report of some highlights of research carried out during the SMY/SMA by the STIP (Study of Travelling Interplanetary Phenomena) Project that included solar and interplanetary scientists around the world. These highlights are concerned with coronal mass ejections from solar flares or erupting prominences (sometimes together); their large-scale consequences in interplanetary space (such as shocks and magnetic 'bubbles'); and energetic particles and their relationship to these large-scale structures. It is concluded that future progress is contingent upon similar international programs assisted by real-time (or near-real-time) warnings of solar activity by cooperating agencies along the lines experienced during the SMY/SMA.

Variations in elemental composition of several MEV/nucleon ions observed in interplanetary space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcguire, R. E.; Vonrosenvinge, T. T.; Reames, D. V.

1985-01-01

Six years of accumulated ISEE-3 and IMP-8 data to study variations in elemental relative abundances among the different populations of energetic ions seen in interplanetary space are surveyed. Evidence suggesting that heavy ion enrichments may be organized by a rigidity scaling factor A/Z over the range H to Fe is presented. Data to support the hypothesis that shock-associated particles are probably accelerated from ambient energetic fluxes are shown.

Sheath-accumulating Propagation of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takahashi, Takuya; Shibata, Kazunari, E-mail: takahasi@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Fast interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are the drivers of strong space weather storms such as solar energetic particle events and geomagnetic storms. The connection between the space-weather-impacting solar wind disturbances associated with fast ICMEs at Earth and the characteristics of causative energetic CMEs observed near the Sun is a key question in the study of space weather storms, as well as in the development of practical space weather prediction. Such shock-driving fast ICMEs usually expand at supersonic speeds during the propagation, resulting in the continuous accumulation of shocked sheath plasma ahead. In this paper, we propose a “sheath-accumulating propagation”more » (SAP) model that describes the coevolution of the interplanetary sheath and decelerating ICME ejecta by taking into account the process of upstream solar wind plasma accumulation within the sheath region. Based on the SAP model, we discuss (1) ICME deceleration characteristics; (2) the fundamental condition for fast ICMEs at Earth; (3) the thickness of interplanetary sheaths; (4) arrival time prediction; and (5) the super-intense geomagnetic storms associated with huge solar flares. We quantitatively show that not only the speed but also the mass of the CME are crucial for discussing the above five points. The similarities and differences between the SAP model, the drag-based model, and the“snow-plow” model proposed by Tappin are also discussed.« less

Mach number dependence of electron heating at high Mach number interplanetary shocks in the inner heliospere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsukiyo, Shuichi

In the inner heliosphere a variety of interplanetary shocks with different Mach numbers are expected to be present. A possible maximum Mach number at 0.3AU from the sun is esti-mated to be about 40. Efficiency of electron heating in such high Mach number shocks is one of the outstanding issues of space plasma physics as well as astrophysics. Here, from this aspect, electron heating rate through microinstabilities generated in the transition region of a quasi-perpendicular shock for wide range of Mach numbers is investigated. Saturation levels of effective electron temperature as a result of modified two-stream instability (MTSI) are es-timated by using a semianalytic approach which we call an extended quasilinear analysis here. The results are compared with one-dimensional full particle-in-cell simulations. It is revealed that Mach number dependence of the effective electron temperature is weak when a Mach num-ber is below a certain critical value. Above the critical value, electron temperature increases being proportional to an upstream flow energy because of that a dominant microinstability in the foot changes from the MTSI to Buneman instability. The critical Mach number is roughly estimated to be a few tens.

The statistical analysis of the Geomagnetically Induced Current events occurred in Guangdong, China during the declining phase of solar cycle 23 (2003–2006)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Y. Y.

2018-03-01

We study the interplanetary causes of intense geomagnetic storms (Dst ≤ -100 nT) and the corresponding Geomagnetically Induced Current (GIC) events occurred in Ling’ao nuclear power station, Guangdong during the declining phase of solar cycle 23 (2003–2006). The result shows that sMC (a magnetic cloud with a shock), SH (sheath) and SH+MC (a sheath followed by a magnetic cloud) are the three most common interplanetary structures responsible for the storms which will cause GIC events in this period. As an interplanetary structure, CIR (corotating interaction regions) also plays an important role, however, the CIR-driven storms have a relatively minor effect to the GIC. Among the interplanetary parameters, the solar wind velocity and the southward component of the IMF (interplanetary magnetic field) are more important than solar wind density and the temperature to a geomagnetic storm and GIC.

Statistics of bow shock nonuniformity.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenstadt, E. W.

1973-01-01

The statistical occurrence of pulsation or oblique structure about the earth's generally nonuniform bow shock is estimated at selected points by combining a three-dimensional distribution of interplanetary field directions obtained for a six-day solar wind sector with an index of local pulsation geometry. The result, obtained with a pulsation index of 1.6, is a set of distribution patterns showing the dependence of the pulsation index on the field orientation at the selected shock loci for this value of the index.

Deflections of Fast Coronal Mass Ejections and the Properties of Associated Solar Energetic Particle Events (POSTPRINT)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-20

coronal mass ejection (CME) source regions can deflect fast CMEs from their expected trajectories in space, explaining the appearance of driverless shocks...the appearance of driverless shocks at 1 AU from CMEs ejected near solar central meridian (CM). This suggests that SEP events originating in CME-driven...interplanetary CME (ICME) drivers. Most such driverless shocks occur only from CMEs near the solar limbs, but these disk-center CMEs were located adjacent to CHs

Quasi-linear theory and transport theory. [particle acceleration in interplanetary medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Charles W.

1992-01-01

The theory of energetic particle scattering by magnetostatic fluctuations is reviewed in so far as it fails to produce the rigidity-independent mean-free-paths observed. Basic aspects of interplanetary magnetic field fluctuations are reviewed with emphasis placed on the existence of dissipation range spectra at high wavenumbers. These spectra are then incorporated into existing theories for resonant magnetostatic scattering and are shown to yield infinite mean-free-paths. Nonresonant scattering in the form of magnetic mirroring is examined and offered as a partial solution to the magnetostatic problem. In the process, mean-free-paths are obtained in good agreement with observations in the interplanetary medium at 1 AU and upstream of planetary bow shocks.

DOUBLE POWER LAWS IN THE EVENT-INTEGRATED SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLE SPECTRUM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Lulu; Zhang, Ming; Rassoul, Hamid K., E-mail: lzhao@fit.edu

2016-04-10

A double power law or a power law with exponential rollover at a few to tens of MeV nucleon{sup −1} of the event-integrated differential spectra has been reported in many solar energetic particle (SEP) events. The rollover energies per nucleon of different elements correlate with a particle's charge-to-mass ratio (Q/A). The probable causes are suggested as residing in shock finite lifetimes, shock finite sizes, shock geometry, and an adiabatic cooling effect. In this work, we conduct a numerical simulation to investigate a particle's transport process in the inner heliosphere. We solve the focused transport equation using a time-backward Markov stochasticmore » approach. The convection, magnetic focusing, adiabatic cooling effect, and pitch-angle scattering are included. The effects that the interplanetary turbulence imposes on the shape of the resulting SEP spectra are examined. By assuming a pure power-law differential spectrum at the Sun, a perfect double-power-law feature with a break energy ranging from 10 to 120 MeV nucleon{sup −1} is obtained at 1 au. We found that the double power law of the differential energy spectrum is a robust result of SEP interplanetary propagation. It works for many assumptions of interplanetary turbulence spectra that give various forms of momentum dependence of a particle's mean free path. The different spectral shapes in low-energy and high-energy ends are not just a transition from the convection-dominated propagation to diffusion-dominated propagation.« less

Operational warning of interplanetary shock arrivals using energetic particle data from ACE: Real-time Upstream Monitoring System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donegan, M.; Vandegriff, J.; Ho, G. C.; Julia, S. J.

2004-12-01

We report on an operational system which provides advance warning and predictions of arrival times at Earth of interplanetary (IP) shocks that originate at the Sun. The data stream used in our prediction algorithm is real-time and comes from the Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor (EPAM) instrument on NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft. Since locally accelerated energetic storm particle (ESP) events accompany most IP shocks, their arrival can be predicted using ESP event signatures. We have previously reported on the development and implementation of an algorithm which recognizes the upstream particle signature of approaching IP shocks and provides estimated countdown predictions. A web-based system (see (http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/UPOS/RISP/index.html) combines this prediction capability with real-time ACE/EPAM data provided by the NOAA Space Environment Center. The most recent ACE data is continually processed and predictions of shock arrival time are updated every five minutes when an event is impending. An operational display is provided to indicate advisories and countdowns for the event. Running the algorithm on a test set of historical events, we obtain a median error of about 10 hours for predictions made 24-36 hours before actual shock arrival and about 6 hours when the shock is 6-12 hours away. This system can provide critical information to mission planners, satellite operations controllers, and scientists by providing significant lead-time for approaching events. Recently, we have made improvements to the triggering mechanism as well as re-training the neural network, and here we report prediction results from the latest system.

Evaluation of a Revised Interplanetary Shock Prediction Model: 1D CESE-HD-2 Solar-Wind Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Du, A. M.; Du, D.; Sun, W.

2014-08-01

We modified the one-dimensional conservation element and solution element (CESE) hydrodynamic (HD) model into a new version [ 1D CESE-HD-2], by considering the direction of the shock propagation. The real-time performance of the 1D CESE-HD-2 model during Solar Cycle 23 (February 1997 - December 2006) is investigated and compared with those of the Shock Time of Arrival Model ( STOA), the Interplanetary-Shock-Propagation Model ( ISPM), and the Hakamada-Akasofu-Fry version 2 ( HAFv.2). Of the total of 584 flare events, 173 occurred during the rising phase, 166 events during the maximum phase, and 245 events during the declining phase. The statistical results show that the success rates of the predictions by the 1D CESE-HD-2 model for the rising, maximum, declining, and composite periods are 64 %, 62 %, 57 %, and 61 %, respectively, with a hit window of ± 24 hours. The results demonstrate that the 1D CESE-HD-2 model shows the highest success rates when the background solar-wind speed is relatively fast. Thus, when the background solar-wind speed at the time of shock initiation is enhanced, the forecasts will provide potential values to the customers. A high value (27.08) of χ 2 and low p-value (< 0.0001) for the 1D CESE-HD-2 model give considerable confidence for real-time forecasts by using this new model. Furthermore, the effects of various shock characteristics (initial speed, shock duration, background solar wind, longitude, etc.) and background solar wind on the forecast are also investigated statistically.

Diffusive Electron Acceleration at Interplanetary CME Shocks: Comparison between events on 21 Feb 1994 and 15 July 2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terasawa, T.; Shimada, N.; Takei, Y.; Kawada, S.; Oka, M.; Den, M.; Mukai, T.; Saito, Y.

2001-12-01

While the diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) process of electrons has significant astrophysical importance, reports of in situ observations of such process accompanying with interplanetary CME shocks at 1 AU have been limited to several big events, such as those on 21 Feb 1994 and 15 July 2000 [Shimada et al., ASS, 1999; Terasawa et al., ICRC, 2001]. In this presentation, we will present the results of comparative studies of these important events based on the GEOTAIL measurements. Common features of these events are, (1) high average propagation speeds from the sun to 1AU ( ~1300 km/s and ~1500 km/s), (2) high local propagation speeds at 1 AU ( ~920 km/s and ~1100 km/s), (3) exponential upstream time profiles of nonthermal electrons (up to 40 keV), and (4) nearly power-law energy spectrum. Despite these similarities, one noticeable difference among them was the relative flux increases of accelerated electrons: In the energy range of several keV to 20 keV nearly two-order of magnitude flux increases were observed at the former shock, while the corresponding increase at the latter shock was only a factor of ~3. We are now trying to identify the origin of this difference: One possibility is the different shock angles ( ~68 deg for the former, and ~48 deg for the latter). Further search for the difference in scattering agents of these electrons is also under way (For the former shock, intensification of whistler waves of several Hz was identified.)

Using ACE Observations of Interplanetary Particles and Magnetic Fields as Possible Contributors to Variations Observed at Van Allen Probes during Major events in 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong, T. P.; Manweiler, J. W.; Gerrard, A. J.; Gkioulidou, M.; Lanzerotti, L. J.; Patterson, J. D.

2013-12-01

Observations from ACE EPAM including energy spectra of protons, helium, and oxygen will be prepared for coordinated use in estimating the direct and indirect access of energetic particles to inner and outer geomagnetic trapping zones. Complete temporal coverage from ACE at 12 seconds, 5 minutes, 17 minutes, hourly and daily cadences will be used to catalog interplanetary events arriving at Earth including interplanetary magnetic field sector boundaries, interplanetary shocks, and interplanetary coronal mass ejections, ICMEs. The first 6 months of 2013 have included both highly disturbed times, March 17 and May 22, and extended quiet periods of little or no variations. Among the specific questions that ACE and Van Allen Probes coordinated observations may aid in resolving are: 1. How much, if any, direct capture of interplanetary energetic particles occurs and what conditions account for it? 2. How much influence do interplanetary field and particle variations have on energization and/or loss of geomagnetically trapped populations? The poster will also present important links and describe methods and important details of access to numerically expressed ACE EPAM and Van Allen Probes RBSPICE observations that can be flexibly and easily accessed via the internet for student and senior researcher use.

Cosmic ray decreases and solar wind disturbances during late October 1989

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cane, H. V.; Richardson, I. G.

1995-01-01

We describe the interplanetary phenomena (energetic particles, solar wind plasma, and magnetic field) seen at Interplanetary Monitoring Platform 8 (IMP 8) and at International Cometary Explorer (ICE), located 65 deg west of IMP 8, during the period October 19-31, 1989, when neutron monitors observed three ground level events originating in one active region when it was in the longitude range E09 deg to W57 deg. At least four shocks, associated with energetic particle enhancements, which can be attributed to a sequence of coronal mass ejections from the same active region, were seen at both spacecraft. An additional shock was observed only at ICE late in this period when the active region was behind the west limb. Considering all the data (which unfortunately suffer from large gaps), it appears that the ejecta associated with the shocks were detected only when the spacecraft and solar source longitude were separated by less than 50 deg. The shocks extended over a greater range of longitudes. The cosmic ray record at Earth is consistent with this picture such that only the first two shock-associated cosmic ray decreases had the signature expected for intercepting ejecta material. This same time period was also examined by Bavassano et al. (1994). However, we do not agree with their conclusion that 'magnetic clouds' extending at least 75 deg from the source longitude were present.

Two Components in Major Solar Particle Events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor); Cane, H. V.; vonRosenvinge, T. T.; Cohen, C. M. S.; Mewaldt, R. A.

2003-01-01

A study has been made of 29 intense, solar particle events observed in the energy range 25-100 MeV/nuc near Earth in the years 1997 through 2001. It is found that the majority of the events (19/29) had Fe to O ratios which were reasonably constant with time and energy, and with values above coronal. These all originated on the Sun s western hemisphere and most had intensities that rose rapidly at the time of an associated flare, and coronal mass ejection (CME), and then decayed more gradually. Few interplanetary shocks were observed during these increases. The spectra were mainly power laws. The remaining 10 events had different intensity-time profiles and Fe to O ratios that varied with time and energy with values at or below coronal. Most of these originated near central meridian and 6 had strong interplanetary shocks that were observed near Earth. In general the spectra were not power laws but steepened at high energies, particularly for Fe. There were four events with two peaks in the intensity-time profiles, the first near the time of the associated flare and the other at shock passage. The results, considered in the light of other recent work, suggest that the high energy particles that occur shortly after flares are indeed flare particles. At the highest rigidities considered here shock-accelerated particles are uncommon and are observed only in association with unusually fast shocks.

Rapid enhancement of low energy (<100 eV) ion flux in response to interplanetary shocks based on two Van Allen Probes case studies: Implications for source regions and heating mechanisms

DOE PAGES

Yue, Chao; Li, Wen; Reeves, Geoffrey D.; ...

2016-07-01

Interactions between interplanetary (IP) shocks and the Earth's magnetosphere manifest many important space physics phenomena including low-energy ion flux enhancements and particle acceleration. In order to investigate the mechanisms driving shock-induced enhancement of low-energy ion flux, we have examined two IP shock events that occurred when the Van Allen Probes were located near the equator while ionospheric and ground observations were available around the spacecraft footprints. We have found that, associated with the shock arrival, electromagnetic fields intensified, and low-energy ion fluxes, including H +, He +, and O +, were enhanced dramatically in both the parallel and perpendicular directions.more » During the 2 October 2013 shock event, both parallel and perpendicular flux enhancements lasted more than 20 min with larger fluxes observed in the perpendicular direction. In contrast, for the 15 March 2013 shock event, the low-energy perpendicular ion fluxes increased only in the first 5 min during an impulse of electric field, while the parallel flux enhancement lasted more than 30 min. In addition, ionospheric outflows were observed after shock arrivals. From a simple particle motion calculation, we found that the rapid response of low-energy ions is due to drifts of plasmaspheric population by the enhanced electric field. Furthermore, the fast acceleration in the perpendicular direction cannot solely be explained by E × B drift but betatron acceleration also plays a role. Adiabatic acceleration may also explain the fast response of the enhanced parallel ion fluxes, while ion outflows may contribute to the enhanced parallel fluxes that last longer than the perpendicular fluxes.« less

Rapid enhancement of low energy (<100 eV) ion flux in response to interplanetary shocks based on two Van Allen Probes case studies: Implications for source regions and heating mechanisms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yue, Chao; Li, Wen; Reeves, Geoffrey D.

Interactions between interplanetary (IP) shocks and the Earth's magnetosphere manifest many important space physics phenomena including low-energy ion flux enhancements and particle acceleration. In order to investigate the mechanisms driving shock-induced enhancement of low-energy ion flux, we have examined two IP shock events that occurred when the Van Allen Probes were located near the equator while ionospheric and ground observations were available around the spacecraft footprints. We have found that, associated with the shock arrival, electromagnetic fields intensified, and low-energy ion fluxes, including H +, He +, and O +, were enhanced dramatically in both the parallel and perpendicular directions.more » During the 2 October 2013 shock event, both parallel and perpendicular flux enhancements lasted more than 20 min with larger fluxes observed in the perpendicular direction. In contrast, for the 15 March 2013 shock event, the low-energy perpendicular ion fluxes increased only in the first 5 min during an impulse of electric field, while the parallel flux enhancement lasted more than 30 min. In addition, ionospheric outflows were observed after shock arrivals. From a simple particle motion calculation, we found that the rapid response of low-energy ions is due to drifts of plasmaspheric population by the enhanced electric field. Furthermore, the fast acceleration in the perpendicular direction cannot solely be explained by E × B drift but betatron acceleration also plays a role. Adiabatic acceleration may also explain the fast response of the enhanced parallel ion fluxes, while ion outflows may contribute to the enhanced parallel fluxes that last longer than the perpendicular fluxes.« less

The Influence of Pickup Protons, from Interstellar Neutral Hydrogen, on the Propagation of Interplanetary Shocks from the Halloween 2003 Solar Events to ACE and Ulysses: A 3-D MHD Modeling Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Detman, T. R.; Intriligator, D. S.; Dryer, M.; Sun, W.; Deehr, C. S.; Intriligator, J.

2012-01-01

We describe our 3-D, time ]dependent, MHD solar wind model that we recently modified to include the physics of pickup protons from interstellar neutral hydrogen. The model has a time-dependent lower boundary condition, at 0.1 AU, that is driven by source surface map files through an empirical interface module. We describe the empirical interface and its parameter tuning to maximize model agreement with background (quiet) solar wind observations at ACE. We then give results of a simulation study of the famous Halloween 2003 series of solar events. We began with shock inputs from the Fearless Forecast real ]time shock arrival prediction study, and then we iteratively adjusted input shock speeds to obtain agreement between observed and simulated shock arrival times at ACE. We then extended the model grid to 5.5 AU and compared those simulation results with Ulysses observations at 5.2 AU. Next we undertook the more difficult tuning of shock speeds and locations to get matching shock arrival times at both ACE and Ulysses. Then we ran this last case again with neutral hydrogen density set to zero, to identify the effect of pickup ions. We show that the speed of interplanetary shocks propagating from the Sun to Ulysses is reduced by the effects of pickup protons. We plan to make further improvements to the model as we continue our benchmarking process to 10 AU, comparing our results with Cassini observations, and eventually on to 100 AU, comparing our results with Voyager 1 and 2 observations.

Ion distributions in the Earth's foreshock upstream from the bow shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuselier, S. A.

1995-01-01

A variety of suprathermal and energetic ion distributions are found upstream from shocks. Some distributions, such as field-aligned beams, are generated directly at the shock either through reflection processes or through leakage from the hotter downstream region. Other distributions, such as intermediate distributions, evolve from these parent distributions through wave-particle interactions. This paper reviews our current understanding of the creation and evolution of suprathermal distributions at shocks. Examples of suprathermal ion distributions are taken from observations at the Earth's bow shock. Particular emphasis is placed on the creation of field-aligned beams and specularly reflected ion distributions and on the evolution of these distributions in the Earth's ion foreshock. However, the results from this heavily studied region are applicable to interplanetary shocks, bow shocks at other planets, and comets.

A discussion of interplanetary post-shock flows with two examples. [with plasma and magnetometer observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ogilvie, K. W.; Burlaga, L. F.

1974-01-01

Plasma and magnetometer observations are described for two flare-associated shock flows and the comparison of them with models. One represents a class of flows where the shock is followed by a stream and separated from it by a region in which density temperature and speed decrease monotonically. The other is characterized by a complex region between the shock and the following stream, which has many discontinuities and fluctuations, but in which there is no increase in helium concentration. These two types of flow can be distinguished using ground magnetograms, since the former shows no sudden impulses following the shock, whereas the latter shows many.

Shocks in the solar wind between 1 and 8.5 AU: Voyager 1 observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gazis, P. R.

1984-01-01

A survey was made of all interplanetary shocks detected by the plasma science experiment aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft between 1.2 and 8.5 AU. Shock normals and shock velocities are determined. The variation of shock frequency and various shock parameters with heliocentric distance is discussed. The results indicate that beyond 1.2 AU, the vast majority of shocks were associated with interaction regions between high and low speed streams; of 95 events, only 1 was clearly associated with a transient event. Forward shocks were more numerous and seemed to form closer to the sun than reverse shocks. Forward shocks were stronger than reverse shocks. The energy balance of three shocks is examined. A close agreement is found between the measured and the predicted pressure ratios across these shocks. The contribution of shocks to the global energy balance is discussed. Shocks are found to have a significant effect in heating the solar wind.

Whistler Waves Associated with Weak Interplanetary Shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Velez, J. C. Ramirez; Blanco-Cano, X.; Aguilar-Rodriguez, E.; Russell, C. T.; Kajdic, P.; Jian,, L. K.; Luhmann, J. G.

2012-01-01

We analyze the properties of 98 weak interplanetary shocks measured by the dual STEREO spacecraft over approximately 3 years during the past solar minimum. We study the occurrence of whistler waves associated with these shocks, which on average are high beta shocks (0.2 < Beta < 10). We have compared the waves properties upstream and downstream of the shocks. In the upstream region the waves are mainly circularly polarized, and in most of the cases (approx. 75%) they propagate almost parallel to the ambient magnetic field (<30 deg.). In contrast, the propagation angle with respect to the shock normal varies in a broad range of values (20 deg. to 90 deg.), suggesting that they are not phase standing. We find that the whistler waves can extend up to 100,000 km in the upstream region but in most cases (88%) are contained in a distance within 30,000 km from the shock. This corresponds to a larger region with upstream whistlers associated with IP shocks than previously reported in the literature. The maximum amplitudes of the waves are observed next to the shock interface, and they decrease as the distance to the shock increases. In most cases the wave propagation direction becomes more aligned with the magnetic field as the distance to the shock increases. These two facts suggest that most of the waves in the upstream region are Landau damping as they move away from the shock. From the analysis we also conclude that it is likely that the generation mechanism of the upstream whistler waves is taking place at the shock interface. In the downstream region, the waves are irregularly polarized, and the fluctuations are very compressive; that is, the compressive component of the wave clearly dominates over the transverse one. The majority of waves in the downstream region (95%) propagate at oblique angles with respect to the ambient magnetic field (>60 deg.). The wave propagation with respect to the shock-normal direction has no preferred direction and varies similarly to the upstream case. It is possible that downstream fluctuations are generated by ion relaxation as suggested in previous hybrid simulation shocks.

The role of distinct parameters of interplanetary shocks in their propagation into and within the Earth's dayside magnetosphere, and their impact on magnetospheric particle populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colpitts, C. A.; Cattell, C. A.

2016-12-01

Interplanetary (IP) shocks are abrupt changes in the solar wind velocity and/or magnetic field. When an IP shock impacts the Earth's magnetosphere, it can trigger a number of responses including geomagnetic storms and substorms that affect radiation to satellites and aircraft, and ground currents that disrupt the power grid. There are a wide variety of IP shocks, and they interact with the magnetosphere in different ways depending on their orientation, speed and other factors. The distinct individual characteristics of IP shocks can have a dramatic effect on their impact on the near-earth environment. While some research has been done on the impact of shock parameters on their geo-effectiveness, these studies primarily utilized ground magnetometer derived indices such as Dst, AE and SME or signals at geosynchronous satellites. The current unprecedented satellite coverage of the magnetosphere, particularly on the dayside, presents an opportunity to directly measure how different shocks propagate into and within the magnetosphere, and how they affect the various particle populations therein. Initial case studies reveal that smaller shocks can have unexpected impacts in the dayside magnetosphere, including unusual particle and electric field signatures, depending on shock parameters. We have recently compiled a database of sudden impulses from 2012-2016, and the location of satellites in the dayside magnetosphere at the impulse times. We are currently combining and comparing this with existing databases compiled at UNH, Harvard and others, as well as solar wind data from ACE, Wind and other solar wind monitors, to generate a complete and accurate list of IP shocks, cataloguing parameters such as the type of shock (CME, CIR etc.), strength (Mach number, solar wind velocity etc.) and shock normal angle. We are investigating the magnetospheric response to these shocks using GOES, ARTEMIS and Cluster data, augmented with RBSP and MMS data where available, to determine what effect the various shock parameters have on their propagation through and impact on the magnetosphere. We will present several case studies from our database that show how different parameters affect how shocks propagate in the dayside and how they affect the particles therein.

Low energy proton bidirectional anisotropies and their relation to transient interplanetary magnetic structures: ISEE-3 observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marsden, R. G.; Sanderson, T. R.; Wenzel, K. P.; Smith, E. J.

1985-01-01

It is known that the interplanetary medium in the period approaching solar maximum is characterized by an enhancement in the occurrence of transient solar wind streams and shocks and that such systems are often associated with looplike magnetic structures or clouds. There is observational evidence that bidirectional, field aligned flows of low energy particles could be a signature of such looplike structures, although detailed models for the magnetic field configuration and injection mechanisms do not exist at the current time. Preliminary results of a survey of low energy proton bidirectional anisotropies measured on ISEE-3 in the interplanetary medium between August 1978 and May 1982, together with magnetic field data from the same spacecraft are presented.

The solar origins of two high-latitude interplanetary disturbances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudson, H. S.; Acton, L. W.; Alexander, D.; Harvey, K. L.; Kurokawa, H.; Kahler, S.; Lemen, J. R.

1995-01-01

Two extremely similar interplanetary forward/reverse shock events, with bidirectional electron streaming were detected by Ulysses in 1994. Ground-based and Yohkoh/SXT observations show two strikingly different solar events that could be associated with them: an LDE flare on 20 Feb. 1994, and a extremely large-scale eruptive event on 14 April 1994. Both events resulted in geomagnetic storms and presumably were associated with coronal mass ejections. The sharply contrasting nature of these solar events argues against an energetic causal relationship between them and the bidirectional streaming events observed by Ulysses during its S polar passage. We suggest instead that for each pair of events. a common solar trigger may have caused independent instabilities leading to the solar and interplanetary phenomena.

Forbush Decrease events in Lunar Radiation Environment observed by the LRO/CRaTER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sohn, J.; Oh, S.; Yi, Y.; Kim, E.; Lee, J.; Spence, H. E.

2012-12-01

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) launched on June 16, 2009 has six experiments including of the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) onboard. The CRaTER instrument characterizes the radiation environment to be experienced by humans during future lunar missions. The CRaTER instrument measures the effects of ionizing energy loss in matter specifically in silicon solid-state detectors due to penetrating solar energetic protons (SEP) and galactic cosmic rays (GCR) after interactions with tissue-equivalent plastic (TEP), a synthetic analog of human tissue. The CRaTER instrument houses a compact and highly precise microdosimeter. It measures dose rates below one micro-Rad/sec in lunar radiation environment. Forbush decrease (FD) event is the sudden decrease of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) flux. The FD event is considered to be caused by exclusion of GCR due to intense interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) structures of interplanetary shock (IP) sheath region and/or the interplanetary coronal mass ejection (CME) following the IP shocks as a shock driver. We use the data of cosmic ray flux and dose rates observed by the CRaTER instrument. We also use the CME list of STEREO SECCHI inner, outer coronagraph and the IMF (Interplanetary CME) data of the ACE/MAG instrument. We examine the origins and the characteristics of the FD-like events in lunar radiation environment. We also compare these events with the FD events on the Earth. We find that whenever the FD events are recorded at ground Neutron Monitor stations, the FD-like events also occur on the lunar environments. The flux variation amplitude of FD-like events on the Moon is approximately two times larger than that of FD events on the Earth. We compare time profiles of GCR flux with of the dose rate of FD-like events in the lunar environment. We figure out that the distinct FD-like events correspond to dose rate events in the CRaTER on lunar environment during the event period.

Coronal mass ejections and their sheath regions in interplanetary space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilpua, Emilia; Koskinen, Hannu E. J.; Pulkkinen, Tuija I.

2017-11-01

Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are large-scale heliospheric transients that originate from the Sun. When an ICME is sufficiently faster than the preceding solar wind, a shock wave develops ahead of the ICME. The turbulent region between the shock and the ICME is called the sheath region. ICMEs and their sheaths and shocks are all interesting structures from the fundamental plasma physics viewpoint. They are also key drivers of space weather disturbances in the heliosphere and planetary environments. ICME-driven shock waves can accelerate charged particles to high energies. Sheaths and ICMEs drive practically all intense geospace storms at the Earth, and they can also affect dramatically the planetary radiation environments and atmospheres. This review focuses on the current understanding of observational signatures and properties of ICMEs and the associated sheath regions based on five decades of studies. In addition, we discuss modelling of ICMEs and many fundamental outstanding questions on their origin, evolution and effects, largely due to the limitations of single spacecraft observations of these macro-scale structures. We also present current understanding of space weather consequences of these large-scale solar wind structures, including effects at the other Solar System planets and exoplanets. We specially emphasize the different origin, properties and consequences of the sheaths and ICMEs.

Energetic storm particle events in coronal mass ejection-driven shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mäkelä, P.; Gopalswamy, N.; Akiyama, S.; Xie, H.; Yashiro, S.

2011-08-01

We investigate the variability in the occurrence of energetic storm particle (ESP) events associated with shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The interplanetary shocks were detected during the period from 1996 to 2006. First, we analyze the CME properties near the Sun. The CMEs with an ESP-producing shock are faster ($\\langle$VCME$\\rangle$ = 1088 km/s) than those driving shocks without an ESP event ($\\langle$VCME$\\rangle$ = 771 km/s) and have a larger fraction of halo CMEs (67% versus 38%). The Alfvénic Mach numbers of shocks with an ESP event are on average 1.6 times higher than those of shocks without. We also contrast the ESP event properties and frequency in shocks with and without a type II radio burst by dividing the shocks into radio-loud (RL) and radio-quiet (RQ) shocks, respectively. The shocks seem to be organized into a decreasing sequence by the energy content of the CMEs: RL shocks with an ESP event are driven by the most energetic CMEs, followed by RL shocks without an ESP event, then RQ shocks with and without an ESP event. The ESP events occur more often in RL shocks than in RQ shocks: 52% of RL shocks and only ˜33% of RQ shocks produced an ESP event at proton energies above 1.8 MeV; in the keV energy range the ESP frequencies are 80% and 65%, respectively. Electron ESP events were detected in 19% of RQ shocks and 39% of RL shocks. In addition, we find that (1) ESP events in RQ shocks are less intense than those in RL shocks; (2) RQ shocks with ESP events are predominately quasi-perpendicular shocks; (3) their solar sources are located slightly to the east of the central meridian; and (4) ESP event sizes show a modest positive correlation with the CME and shock speeds. The observation that RL shocks tend to produce more frequently ESP events with larger particle flux increases than RQ shocks emphasizes the importance of type II bursts in identifying solar events prone to producing high particle fluxes in the near-Earth space. However, the trend is not definitive. If there is no type II emission, an ESP event is less likely but not absent. The variability in the probability and size of ESP events most likely reflects differences in the shock formation in the low corona and changes in the properties of the shocks as they propagate through interplanetary space and the escape efficiency of accelerated particles from the shock front.

Asymmetry of nonlinear interactions of solar MHD discontinuities with the bow shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grib, S. A.; Pushkar, E. A.

2006-07-01

Oblique interaction between the solar fast shock wave, which is a typical nonstationary strong discontinuity in the interplanetary space, and the bow shock front upstream of an Earth-type planetary magnetosphere is studied. Attention has been paid to the qualitative and quantitative (with respect to the proton density distribution) dawn-dusk (or morning-evening) asymmetry of the discontinuities refracted into the magnetosheath, which originates in the ecliptic plane on different sides of the Sun-Earth line. The results under discussion have been corroborated experimentally by the gas-kinetic pattern of the bow-shock front and the WIND and ISEE 3 spacecraft measurements of the plasma density.

Reply to Gopalswamy et al.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cane, H. V.; Richardson, I. G.

2003-01-01

The comment of Gopalswamy et al. (thereafter GMY) relates to a letter discussing coronal mass ejections (CMEs), interplanetary ejecta and geomagnetic storms. GMY contend that Cane et al. incorrectly identified ejecta (interplanetary CMEs) and hypothesize that this is because Cane et al. fail to understand how to separate ejecta from "shock sheaths" when interpreting solar wind and energetic particle data sets. They (GMY) are wrong be cause the relevant section of the paper was concerned with the propagation time to 1 AU of any potentially geoeffective structures caused by CMEs, i.e. upstream compression regions with or without shocks, or ejecta. In other words, the travel times used by Cane et al. were purposefully and deliberately distinct from ejecta travel times (except for those slow ejecta, approx. 30% of their events, which generated no upstream features), and no error in identification was involved. The confusion of GMY stems from the description did not characterize the observations sufficiently clearly.

Study of the relation between Pc 3 micropulsations and magnetosheath fluctuations and for the multisatellite multimeasurement investigation of earths bow shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenstadt, E. W.

1974-01-01

Hourly averages of HEOS A interplanetary field and plasma parameters are compared with micropulsation spectrograms taken by auroral zone stations. Visual evaluation of tungsten induction coil records and a statistical summary indicate a class of pulsations sometimes in the Pc 3, sometimes in the Pc 4 range, whose appearance correlates with solar wind field flow alignment. It is concluded that there is a pulsation phenomenon of variable period strongly associated with certain interplanetary field directions.

Some properties of flare-not-associated Forbush decreases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iucci, N.; Parisi, M.; Signorini, C.; Storini, M.; Villoresi, G.

1984-07-01

All non flare-associated Forbush decreases (N Ass Fds) over the period 1957 to 1979 are investigated. The connection between N Ass Fds occurrence and the central meridian passage of strong active regions producing great flare associated Fds shows the flare origin of the N Ass Fds. The interplanetary perturbations at the eastern and western boundaries of the modulated region are found to be long living corotating structures. These structures mark the boundaries of the region in which the (1 to 4 Mev) protons accelerated by interplanetary flare generated shocks are confined.

CME Interaction with Coronal Holes and Their Interplanetary Consequences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswamy, N.; Makela, P.; Xie, H.; Akiyama, S.; Yashiro, S.

2008-01-01

A significant number of interplanetary (IP) shocks (-17%) during cycle 23 were not followed by drivers. The number of such "driverless" shocks steadily increased with the solar cycle with 15%, 33%, and 52% occurring in the rise, maximum, and declining phase of the solar cycle. The solar sources of 15% of the driverless shocks were very close the central meridian of the Sun (within approx.15deg), which is quite unexpected. More interestingly, all the driverless shocks with their solar sources near the solar disk center occurred during the declining phase of solar cycle 23. When we investigated the coronal environment of the source regions of driverless shocks, we found that in each case there was at least one coronal hole nearby suggesting that the coronal holes might have deflected the associated coronal mass ejections (CMEs) away from the Sun-Earth line. The presence of abundant low-latitude coronal holes during the declining phase further explains why CMEs originating close to the disk center mimic the limb CMEs, which normally lead to driverless shocks due to purely geometrical reasons. We also examined the solar source regions of shocks with drivers. For these, the coronal holes were located such that they either had no influence on the CME trajectories. or they deflected the CMEs towards the Sun-Earth line. We also obtained the open magnetic field distribution on the Sun by performing a potential field source surface extrapolation to the corona. It was found that the CMEs generally move away from the open magnetic field regions. The CME-coronal hole interaction must be widespread in the declining phase, and may have a significant impact on the geoeffectiveness of CMEs.

Prompt Acceleration of Magnetospheric Electrons to Ultrarelativistic Energies by the 17 March 2015 Interplanetary Shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kanekal, S. G.; Baker, D. N.; Fennell, J. F.; Jones, A.; Schiller, Q.; Richardson, I.G.; Li, X.; Turner, D. L.; Califf, S.; Claudepierre, S. G.;

Real-time Upstream Monitoring System (RUMS): Forecasting arrival times of interplanetary shocks using energetic particle data from ACE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, G.; Donegan, M.; Vandegriff, J.; Wagstaff, K.

We have created a system for predicting the arrival times at Earth of interplanetary (IP) shocks that originate at the Sun. This system is currently available on the web (http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/UPOS/RISP/index.html) and runs in real-time. Input data to our prediction algorithm is energetic particle data from the Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor (EPAM) instrument on NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft. Real-time EPAM data is obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Environment Center (SEC). Our algorithm operates in two stages. First it watches for a velocity dispersion signature (energetic ions show flux enhancement followed by subsequent enhancements in lower energies), which is commonly seen upstream of a large IP shock. Once a precursor signature has been detected, a pattern recognition algorithm is used to analyze the time series profile of the particle data and generate an estimate for the shock arrival time. Tests on the algorithm show an average error of roughly 9 hours for predictions made 24 hours before the shock arrival and roughly 5 hours when the shock is 12 hours away. This can provide significant lead-time and deliver critical information to mission planners, satellite operations controllers, and scientists. As of February 4, 2004, the ACE real-time stream has been switched to include data from another detector on EPAM. We are now processing the new real-time data stream and have made improvements to our algorithm based on this data. In this paper, we report prediction results from the updated algorithm.

Nonthermal Radiation Processes in Interplanetary Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chian, A. C. L.

1990-11-01

RESUMEN. En la interacci6n de haces de electrones energeticos con plasmas interplanetarios, se excitan ondas intensas de Langmuir debido a inestabilidad del haz de plasma. Las ondas Langmuir a su vez interaccio nan con fluctuaciones de densidad de baja frecuencia para producir radiaciones. Si la longitud de las ondas de Langmujr exceden las condicio nes del umbral, se puede efectuar la conversi5n de modo no lineal a on- das electromagneticas a traves de inestabilidades parametricas. As se puede excitar en un plasma inestabilidades parametricas electromagneticas impulsadas por ondas intensas de Langmuir: (1) inestabilidades de decaimiento/fusi5n electromagnetica impulsadas por una bomba de Lang- muir que viaja; (2) inestabilidades dobles electromagneticas de decai- miento/fusi5n impulsadas por dos bombas de Langrnuir directamente opues- tas; y (3) inestabilidades de dos corrientes oscilatorias electromagne- ticas impulsadas por dos bombas de Langmuir de corrientes contrarias. Se concluye que las inestabilidades parametricas electromagneticas in- ducidas por las ondas de Langmuir son las fuentes posibles de radiacio- nes no termicas en plasmas interplanetarios. ABSTRACT: Nonthermal radio emissions near the local electron plasma frequency have been detected in various regions of interplanetary plasmas: solar wind, upstream of planetary bow shock, and heliopause. Energetic electron beams accelerated by solar flares, planetary bow shocks, and the terminal shock of heliosphere provide the energy source for these radio emissions. Thus, it is expected that similar nonthermal radiation processes may be responsible for the generation of these radio emissions. As energetic electron beams interact with interplanetary plasmas, intense Langmuir waves are excited due to a beam-plasma instability. The Langmuir waves then interact with low-frequency density fluctuations to produce radiations near the local electron plasma frequency. If Langmuir waves are of sufficiently large amplitude to exceed the thresfiold conditions, nonlinear mode conversion electromagnetic waves can be effected through parametric instabilities. A number of electromagnetic parametric instabilities driven by intense Langmuir waves can be excited in a plasma: (1) electromagnetic decay/fusion instabilities driven by a traveling Langmuir pump; (2) double electromagnetic decay/fusion instabilities driven by two oppositely directed Langmuir pumps; and (3) electromagnetic oscillating two-stream instabilities driven by two counterstreaming Langmuir pumps. It is concluded that the electromagnetic parametric instabilities induced by Langmuir waves are likely sources of nonthermal radiations in interplanetary plasmas. Keq ( : INTERPLANETARY MEDIUM - PLASMAS

The Heavy Ion Sensor (HIS) Onboard Solar Orbiter (SOLO): Calibration Results and Science Outlook

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Livi, S. A.; Lepri, S. T.; Raines, J. M.; Galvin, A.; Kistler, L. M.; Allegrini, F.; Ogasawara, K.; Collier, M. R.

2017-12-01

The HIS sensor has been designed and optimized to study heavy ions in the solar wind, suprathermal particles, and pickup ions in the range 0.5 to 75keV/e. This instrument will allow for unprecedented data collection of particle characteristics near the Sun at various heliolatitudes during both the quiet and active phases of the solar cycle. The close proximity and the quasi-corotation will allow for determination of the source regions on the sun for the observed events. As a result of the measurements HIS will take, we will be able to: link events on the surface of the Sun with structures in the interplanetary medium; determine the extent of gravitational settling in the expansion region of the solar wind; identify interplanetary shocks and characterize their spatial and temporal evolution; characterize the power spectra of density and velocity uctuations upstream and downstream of shocks; study the heating and dissipation mechanisms at shocks at various radial distances and latitudes; and identify the mechanisms that heat thermal solar wind ions near shocks and determine the energy partition at shocks. During the course of 2016 and 2017 HIS has been calibrated at the facility of SwRI and University of Bern, using a large energy range (0.1-450 keV), multiple masses (H-Fe), as well as charge states (1-6). The results show that HIS will meet or exceed all necessary requirements to fullfill its ambitious scientific goals.

Real-time Upstream Monitoring System: Using ACE Data to Predict the Arrival of Interplanetary Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donegan, M. M.; Wagstaff, K. L.; Ho, G. C.; Vandegriff, J.

2003-12-01

We have developed an algorithm to predict Earth arrival times for interplanetary (IP) shock events originating at the Sun. Our predictions are generated from real-time data collected by the Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor (EPAM) instrument on NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft. The high intensities of energetic ions that occur prior to and during an IP shock pose a radiation hazard to astronauts as well as to electronics in Earth orbit. The potential to predict such events is based on characteristic signatures in the Energetic Storm Particle (ESP) event ion intensities which are often associated with IP shocks. We have previously reported on the development and implementation of an algorithm to forecast the arrival of ESP events. Historical ion data from ACE/EPAM was used to train an artificial neural network which uses the signature of an approaching event to predict the time remaining until the shock arrives. Tests on the trained network have been encouraging, with an average error of 9.4 hours for predictions made 24 hours in advance, and an reduced average error of 4.9 hours when the shock is 12 hours away. The prediction engine has been integrated into a web-based system that uses real-time ACE/EPAM data provided by the NOAA Space Environment Center (http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/UPOS/RISP/ index.html.) This system continually processes the latest ACE data, reports whether or not there is an impending shock, and predicts the time remaining until the shock arrival. Our predictions are updated every five minutes and provide significant lead-time, thereby supplying critical information that can be used by mission planners, satellite operations controllers, and scientists. We have continued to refine the prediction capabilities of this system; in addition to forecasting arrival times for shocks, we now provide confidence estimates for those predictions.

Global Dayside Ionospheric Uplift and Enhancement Associated with Interplanetary Electric Fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsurutani, Bruce; Mannucci, Anthony; Iijima, Byron; Abdu, Mangalathayil Ali; Sobral, Jose Humberto A.; Gonzalez, Walter; Guarnieri, Fernando; Tsuda, Toshitaka; Saito, Akinori; Yumoto, Kiyohumi;

The interplanetary exchange of photosynthesis.

PubMed

Cockell, Charles S

2008-02-01

Panspermia, the transfer of organisms from one planet to another, either through interplanetary or interstellar space, remains speculation. However, its potential can be experimentally tested. Conceptually, it is island biogeography on an interplanetary or interstellar scale. Of special interest is the possibility of the transfer of oxygenic photosynthesis between one planet and another, as it can initiate large scale biospheric productivity. Photosynthetic organisms, which must live near the surface of rocks, can be shown experimentally to be subject to destruction during atmospheric transit. Many of them grow as vegetative cells, which are shown experimentally to be susceptible to destruction by shock during impact ejection, although the effectiveness of this dispersal filter can be shown to be mitigated by the characteristics of the cells and their local environment. Collectively these, and other, experiments reveal the particular barriers to the cross-inoculation of photosynthesis. If oxygen biosignatures are eventually found in the atmospheres of extrasolar planets, understanding the potential for the interplanetary exchange of photosynthesis will aid in their interpretation.

PROPAGATION AND EVOLUTION OF THE JUNE 1st 2008 CME IN THE INTERPLANETARY MEDIUM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nieves-Chinchilla, T.; Lamb, D. A.; Davila, J. M.; Vinas, A. F.; Moestl, C.; Hidalgo, M. A.; Farrugia, C. J.; Malandraki, O.; Dresing, N.; Gómez-Herrero, R.

2009-12-01

In this work we present a study of the coronal mass ejection (CME) of June 1st of 2008 in the interplanetary medium. This event has been extensively studied by others because of its favorable geometry and the possible consequences of its peculiar initiation for space weather forecasting. We show an analysis of the evolution of the CME in the interplanetary medium in order to shed some light on the propagation mechanism of the ICME. We have determined the typical shock associated characteristics of the ICME in order to understand the propagation properties. Using two different non force-free models of the magnetic cloud allows us to incorporate expansion of the cloud. We use in-situ measurements from STEREO B/IMPACT to characterize the ICME. In addition, we use images from STEREO A/SECCHI-HI to analyze the propagation and visual evolution of the associated flux rope in the interplanetary medium. We compare and contrast these observations with the results of the analytical models.

Solar Energetic Particles -- A Radiation Hazard to Humans and Hardware in Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mewaldt, R. A.

2006-10-01

During large solar energetic particle (SEP) events the intensity of >30 MeV protons in nearby interplanetary space can increase by a million times over the steady intensity of galactic cosmic rays, creating a radiation hazard to both humans and hardware in space. With NASA now committed to sending astronauts to the Moon and possibly on to Mars, outside the protective cover of the Earth's magnetosphere, interest in understanding and forecasting large SEP events has taken on a new sense of urgency. The past solar maximum included four of the top ten SEP events of the space era. Fortunately, the array of spacecraft now in interplanetary space has provided greatly improved measurements of the composition and energy spectra of accelerated ions, leading to fresh insights into the nature of these events. The largest SEP events are accelerated by coronal and interplanetary shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) traveling at >2000 km/sec. Although shock acceleration is ubiquitous in nature, its efficiency is highly variable, making it difficult to forecast the onset and evolution of large SEP events. This talk will describe the radiation hazards associated with the largest SEP events, discuss their frequency of occurrence, consider a worst-case SEP event, and describe how the radiation risks can be mitigated.

Precursors of the Forbush Decrease on 2006 December 14 Observed with the Global Muon Detector Network (GMDN)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fushishita, A.; Kuwabara, T.; Kato, C.; Yasue, S.; Bieber, J. W.; Evenson, P.; Da Silva, M. R.; Dal Lago, A.; Schuch, N. J.; Tokumaru, M.; Duldig, M. L.; Humble, J. E.; Sabbah, I.; Jassar, H. K. Al; Sharma, M. M.; Munakata, K.

2010-06-01

We analyze the precursor of a Forbush decrease (FD) observed with the Global Muon Detector Network on 2006 December 14. An intense geomagnetic storm is also recorded during this FD with the peak Kp index of 8+. By using the "two-dimensional map" of the cosmic ray intensity produced after removing the contribution from the diurnal anisotropy, we succeed in extracting clear signatures of the precursor. A striking feature of this event is that a weak loss-cone (LC) signature is first recorded more than a day prior to the storm sudden commencement (SSC) onset. This suggests that the LC precursor appeared only 7 hr after the coronal mass ejection eruption from the Sun, when the interplanetary (IP) shock driven by the interplanetary coronal mass ejection was located at 0.4 AU from the Sun. We find the precursor being successively observed with multiple detectors in the network according to the Earth's spin and confirmed that the precursor continuously exists in space. The long lead time (15.6 hr) of this precursor which is almost twice the typical value indicates that the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) was more quiet in this event than a typical power spectrum assumed for the IMF turbulence. The amplitude (-6.45%) of the LC anisotropy at the SSC onset is more than twice the FD size, indicating that the maximum intensity depression behind the IP shock is much larger than the FD size recorded at the Earth in this event. We also find the excess intensity from the sunward IMF direction clearly observed during ~10 hr preceding the SSC onset. It is shown that this excess intensity is consistent with the measurement of the particles accelerated by the head-on collisions with the approaching shock. This is the first detailed observation of the precursor due to the shock reflected particles with muon detectors.

Monte Carlo simulations of particle acceleration at oblique shocks: Including cross-field diffusion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baring, M. G.; Ellison, D. C.; Jones, F. C.

1995-01-01

The Monte Carlo technique of simulating diffusive particle acceleration at shocks has made spectral predictions that compare extremely well with particle distributions observed at the quasi-parallel region of the earth's bow shock. The current extension of this work to compare simulation predictions with particle spectra at oblique interplanetary shocks has required the inclusion of significant cross-field diffusion (strong scattering) in the simulation technique, since oblique shocks are intrinsically inefficient in the limit of weak scattering. In this paper, we present results from the method we have developed for the inclusion of cross-field diffusion in our simulations, namely model predictions of particle spectra downstream of oblique subluminal shocks. While the high-energy spectral index is independent of the shock obliquity and the strength of the scattering, the latter is observed to profoundly influence the efficiency of injection of cosmic rays into the acceleration process.

Endogenous production, exogenous delivery and impact-shock synthesis of organic molecules - An inventory for the origins of life

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chyba, Christopher; Sagan, Carl

1992-01-01

The contribution of organic-rich comets, carbonaceous asteroids, and interplanetary dust particles and of impact shock-synthesized organics in the atmosphere to the origin of life on earth is studied and quantitatively compared with the principal non-heavy-bombardment sources of prebiotic organics. The results suggest that heavy bombardment before 3.5 Gyr ago either produced or delivered quantities of organics comparable to those produced by other energy sources.

A Statistical Study of Interplanetary Type II Bursts: STEREO Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krupar, V.; Eastwood, J. P.; Magdalenic, J.; Gopalswamy, N.; Kruparova, O.; Szabo, A.

2017-12-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the primary cause of the most severe and disruptive space weather events such as solar energetic particle (SEP) events and geomagnetic storms at Earth. Interplanetary type II bursts are generated via the plasma emission mechanism by energetic electrons accelerated at CME-driven shock waves and hence identify CMEs that potentially cause space weather impact. As CMEs propagate outward from the Sun, radio emissions are generated at progressively at lower frequencies corresponding to a decreasing ambient solar wind plasma density. We have performed a statistical study of 153 interplanetary type II bursts observed by the two STEREO spacecraft between March 2008 and August 2014. These events have been correlated with manually-identified CMEs contained in the Heliospheric Cataloguing, Analysis and Techniques Service (HELCATS) catalogue. Our results confirm that faster CMEs are more likely to produce interplanetary type II radio bursts. We have compared observed frequency drifts with white-light observations to estimate angular deviations of type II burst propagation directions from radial. We have found that interplanetary type II bursts preferably arise from CME flanks. Finally, we discuss a visibility of radio emissions in relation to the CME propagation direction.

Extreme enhancements and depletions of relativistic electrons in Earth's radiation belts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, D. L.; Claudepierre, S. G.; O'Brien, T. P., III; Fennell, J. F.; Blake, J. B.; Baker, D. N.; Jaynes, A. N.; Morley, S.; Geoffrey, R.

2015-12-01

Earth's electron radiation belts consist of toroidal zones in near-Earth space characterized by intense levels of relativistic electrons with distinct energy-dependent boundaries. It has been known for decades that the outer electron radiation belt is highly variable, with electron intensities varying by orders of magnitude on timescales ranging from minutes to years. Now, we are gaining much insight into the nature of this extreme variability thanks to the unprecedented number of observatories capable of measuring radiation belt electrons, the most recent of which is NASA's Van Allen Probes mission. In this presentation, we analyze and review several of the most extreme events observed in Earth's outer radiation belt. We begin with very sudden and strong enhancements of the outer radiation belt that can result in several orders of magnitude enhancements of electron intensities up to several MeV that sometimes occur in less than one day. We compare and contrast two of the most extreme cases of sudden and strong enhancements from the Van Allen Probes era, 08-09 October 2012 and 17-18 March 2015, and review evidence of the dominant acceleration mechanism in each event. Sudden enhancements of the radiation belts can also occur from injections by interplanetary shocks impacting the magnetosphere, such as occurred on 24 March 1991. We compare shock characteristics from previous injection events to those from the Van Allen Probes era to investigate why none of the interplanetary shocks since September 2012 have caused MeV electron injections into the slot region and inner radiation belt, which has surprisingly been devoid of measurable quantities of >~1 MeV electrons throughout the Van Allen Probes era. Our last topic concerns loss processes. We discuss drastic loss events, known as "flux dropouts", and present evidence that these loss events can eliminate the vast majority of relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt on time scales of only a few hours. We finish with cases of prolonged outer belt depletions, such as occurred throughout most of 2009 and in September 2014, and discuss how these can result from flux dropout events combined with a subsequent lack of any source of new relativistic electrons.

Fast shocks at the edges of hot diamagnetic cavities upstream from the earth's bow shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuselier, S. A.; Thomsen, M. F.; Gosling, J. T.; Bame, S. J.; Russell, C. T.

1987-01-01

Recently, several events described as hot expanding diamagnetic cavities have been observed upstream from the earth's bow shock using the ISEE 1 and 2 spacecraft. It has been suggested that fast shocks may form at the edges of some of these events because of the rapid expansion of the cavities. Here, plasma density, temperature, velocity, and total field changes across the edges of several events were examined, and these changes were found to be consistent with the presence of shocks there. The presence of flat-topped electron distributions and occasional electron beams at and down-stream from the edges provides additional evidence for shocks. Plasma wave observations also show shocklike electrostatic noise at the edges of several events. It is concluded that the edges of diamagnetic cavity events are often shocks, with a range of shock strengths similar to that observed in the interplanetary medium. The range of shock strengths may be the result of different convection and/or expansion speeds of the cavities.

Propagation Characteristics of Two Coronal Mass Ejections from the Sun Far into Interplanetary Space

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Xiaowei; Liu, Ying D.; Hu, Huidong

Propagation of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the Sun far into interplanetary space is not well understood, due to limited observations. In this study we examine the propagation characteristics of two geo-effective CMEs, which occurred on 2005 May 6 and 13, respectively. Significant heliospheric consequences associated with the two CMEs are observed, including interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) at the Earth and Ulysses , interplanetary shocks, a long-duration type II radio burst, and intense geomagnetic storms. We use coronagraph observations from SOHO /LASCO, frequency drift of the long-duration type II burst, in situ measurements at the Earth and Ulysses , and magnetohydrodynamicmore » propagation of the observed solar wind disturbances at 1 au to track the CMEs from the Sun far into interplanetary space. We find that both of the CMEs underwent a major deceleration within 1 au and thereafter a gradual deceleration when they propagated from the Earth to deep interplanetary space, due to interactions with the ambient solar wind. The results also reveal that the two CMEs interacted with each other in the distant interplanetary space even though their launch times on the Sun were well separated. The intense geomagnetic storm for each case was caused by the southward magnetic fields ahead of the CME, stressing the critical role of the sheath region in geomagnetic storm generation, although for the first case there is a corotating interaction region involved.« less

An Investigation of Interplanetary Structures for Solar Cycles 23 and 24 and their Space Weather Consequences.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sultan, M. S.; Jules, A.; Marchese, P.; Damas, M. C.

2017-12-01

It is crucial to study space weather because severe interplanetary conditions can cause geomagnetic storms that may damage both space- and ground-based technological systems such as satellites, communication systems, and power grids. Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and corotating interaction regions (CIRs) are the primary drivers of geomagnetic storms. As they travel through interplanetary space and reach geospace, their spatial structures change which can result in various geomagnetic effects. Therefore, studying these drivers and their structures is essential in order to better understand and mitigate their impact on technological systems, as well as to forecast geomagnetic storms. In this study, over 150 storms were cross-checked for both solar cycles (SC) 23 and 24. This data has revealed the most common interplanetary structures, i.e., sheath (Sh); magnetic cloud following a shock front (sMC); sheath region and magnetic cloud (Sh/MC); and corotating interaction regions (CIRs). Furthermore, plasma parameters as well as variation in the intensity and duration of storms resulting from different interplanetary structures are studied for their effect on geomagnetically induced currents (GICs), as well as for their effect on power grids. Although preliminary results for SC 23 indicate that storm intensity may play a dominant role for GICs, duration might also be a factor, albeit smaller. Results from both SC 23 and 24 are analyzed and compared, and should lead to an enhanced understanding of space weather consequences of interplanetary structures and their possible forecasting.

Coronal Mass Ejections Near the Sun and in the Interplanetary Medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswamy, Nat

2012-01-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the most energetic phenomenon in the heliosphere. During solar eruptions, the released energy flows out from the Sun in the form of magnetized plasma and electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation suddenly increases the ionization content of the ionosphere, thus impacting communication and navigation systems. The plasma clouds can drive shocks that accelerate charged particles to very high energies in the interplanetary space, which pose radiation hazard to astronauts and space systems. The plasma clouds also arrive at Earth in about two days and impact Earth's magnetosphere, producing geomagnetic storms. The magnetic storms result in a number of effects including induced currents that can disrupt power grids, railroads, and underground pipelines. This lecture presents an overview of the origin, propagation, and geospace consequences of CMEs and their interplanetary counterparts.

Development and Transition of the Radiation, Interplanetary Shocks, and Coronal Sources (RISCS) Toolset

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spann, James F.; Zank, G.

2014-01-01

We outline a plan to develop and transition a physics based predictive toolset called The Radiation, Interplanetary Shocks, and Coronal Sources (RISCS) to describe the interplanetary energetic particle and radiation environment throughout the inner heliosphere, including at the Earth. To forecast and "nowcast" the radiation environment requires the fusing of three components: 1) the ability to provide probabilities for incipient solar activity; 2) the use of these probabilities and daily coronal and solar wind observations to model the 3D spatial and temporal heliosphere, including magnetic field structure and transients, within 10 Astronomical Units; and 3) the ability to model the acceleration and transport of energetic particles based on current and anticipated coronal and heliospheric conditions. We describe how to address 1) - 3) based on our existing, well developed, and validated codes and models. The goal of RISCS toolset is to provide an operational forecast and "nowcast" capability that will a) predict solar energetic particle (SEP) intensities; b) spectra for protons and heavy ions; c) predict maximum energies and their duration; d) SEP composition; e) cosmic ray intensities, and f) plasma parameters, including shock arrival times, strength and obliquity at any given heliospheric location and time. The toolset would have a 72 hour predicative capability, with associated probabilistic bounds, that would be updated hourly thereafter to improve the predicted event(s) and reduce the associated probability bounds. The RISCS toolset would be highly adaptable and portable, capable of running on a variety of platforms to accommodate various operational needs and requirements. The described transition plan is based on a well established approach developed in the Earth Science discipline that ensures that the customer has a tool that meets their needs

Bacterial spores in granite survive hypervelocity launch by spallation: implications for lithopanspermia.

PubMed

Fajardo-Cavazos, Patricia; Langenhorst, Falko; Melosh, H Jay; Nicholson, Wayne L

2009-09-01

Bacterial spores are considered good candidates for endolithic life-forms that could survive interplanetary transport by natural impact processes, i.e., lithopanspermia. Organisms within rock can only embark on an interplanetary journey if they survive ejection from the surface of the donor planet and the associated extremes of compressional shock, heating, and acceleration. Previous simulation experiments have measured each of these three stresses more or less in isolation of one another, and results to date indicate that spores of the model organism Bacillus subtilis can survive each stress applied singly. Few simulations, however, have combined all three stresses simultaneously. Because considerable experimental and theoretical evidence supports a spallation mechanism for launch, we devised an experimental simulation of launch by spallation using the Ames Vertical Gun Range (AVGR). B. subtilis spores were applied to the surface of a granite target that was impacted from above by an aluminum projectile fired at 5.4 km/s. Granite spall fragments were captured in a foam recovery fixture and then recovered and assayed for shock damage by transmission electron microscopy and for spore survival by viability assays. Peak shock pressure at the impact site was calculated to be 57.1 GPa, though recovered spall fragments were only very lightly shocked at pressures of 5-7 GPa. Spore survival was calculated to be on the order of 10(-5), which is in agreement with results of previous static compressional shock experiments. These results demonstrate that endolithic spores can survive launch by spallation from a hypervelocity impact, which lends further evidence in favor of lithopanspermia theory.

Large Solar Energetic Particle Events Associated With Filament Eruptions Outside Active Regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswamy, N.; Makela, P.; Akiyama, S.; Yashiro, S.; Xie, H.; Thakur, N.; Kahler, S. W.

2015-01-01

We report on four large filament eruptions (FEs) from solar cycles 23 and 24 that were associated with large solar energetic particle (SEP) events and interplanetary type II radio bursts. The post-eruption arcades corresponded mostly to C-class soft X-ray enhancements, but an M1.0 flare was associated with one event. However, the associated coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were fast (speeds approx. 1000 km/s) and appeared as halo CMEs in the coronagraph field of view. The interplanetary type II radio bursts occurred over a wide wavelength range, indicating the existence of strong shocks throughout the inner heliosphere. No metric type II bursts were present in three events, indicating that the shocks formed beyond 2-3 Rs. In one case, there was a metric type II burst with low starting frequency, indicating a shock formation height of approx.2 Rs. The FE-associated SEP events did have softer spectra (spectral index >4) in the 10-100 MeV range, but there were other low-intensity SEP events with spectral indices ?4. Some of these events are likely FE-SEP events, but were not classified as such in the literature because they occurred close to active regions. Some were definitely associated with large active region flares, but the shock formation height was large. We definitely find a diminished role for flares and complex type III burst durations in these large SEP events. Fast CMEs and shock formation at larger distances from the Sun seem to be the primary characteristics of the FE-associated SEP events.

On the source of flare-ejecta responsible for geomagnetic storms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sakurai, K.

1974-01-01

It is shown that magnetic bottles as the sources of moving metric type 4 bursts are not responsible for the development of geomagnetic storms, despite the fact that shock waves producing type 2 bursts are the sources of the interplanetary shock waves, which produce SSC's on the geomagnetic field. These magnetic bottles, in general, tend to move in the solar envelope with the speed of several hundred Km/sec at most, which is much slower than that of the motion of type 2 radio sources.

Propagation of Interplanetary Disturbances in the Outer Heliosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Chi

2002-01-01

Work finished during 2002 included: (1) Finished a multi-fluid solar wind model; (2) Determined the solar wind slowdown and interstellar neutral density; (3) Studied shock propagation and evolution in the outer heliosphere; (4) Investigated statistical properties of the solar wind in the outer heliosphere.

Observations of an Interplanetary Intermediate Shock Associated with a Magnetic Reconnection Exhaust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, H. Q.; Li, Q. H.; Wang, J. M.; Zhao, G. Q.

2016-07-01

Two intermediate shocks (ISs) in interplanetary space have been identified via one spacecraft observation. However, Feng et al. suggested that the analysis using a single spacecraft observation based only on the Rankine-Hugoniot (R-H) relations could misinterpret a tangential discontinuity (TD) as an IS. The misinterpretation can be fixed if two spacecraft observations are available. In this paper, we report an IS-like discontinuity associated with a magnetic reconnection exhaust, which was observed by Wind on 2000 August 9 at 1 au. We investigated this discontinuity by fitting the R-H relations and referring to the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) observations. As a result, we found that the observed magnetic field and plasma data satisfy the R-H relations well, and the discontinuity satisfies all the requirements of the 2\\to 3 type IS. Although the discontinuity cannot be identified strictly by using two spacecraft observations, in light of the ACE observations we consider that the discontinuity should be an IS rather than a TD.

Interplanetary Shocks Inducing Magnetospheric Supersubstorms (SML < ‑2500 nT): Unusual Auroral Morphologies and Energy Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajra, Rajkumar; Tsurutani, Bruce T.

2018-05-01

We present case studies of two interplanetary shock-induced supersubstorms (SSSs) with extremely high intensities (peak SML ‑4418 and ‑2668 nT) and long durations (∼1.7 and ∼3.1 hr). The events occurred on 2005 January 21 and 2010 April 5, respectively. It is shown that these SSSs have a different auroral evolution than a nominal Akasofu-type substorm. The auroras associated with the SSSs did not have the standard midnight onset and following expansion. Instead, at the time of the SML index peak, the midnight sector was generally devoid of intense auroras, while the most intense auroras were located in the premidnight and postmidnight magnetic local times. Precursor energy input through magnetic reconnection was insufficient to balance the large ionospheric energy dissipation during the SSSs. It is argued that besides the release of stored magnetotail energy during the SSSs, these were powered by additional direct driving through both dayside magnetic reconnection and solar wind ram energy.

Modeling Spectral Turnovers in Interplanetary Shocks Observed by ULYSSES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Summerlin, E. J.; Baring, M. G.

2009-12-01

Interplanetary shocks in the heliosphere provide excellent test cases for the simulation and theory of particle acceleration at shocks thanks to the presence of in-situ measurements and a relatively well understood initial particle distribution. The Monte-Carlo test particle simulation employed in this work has been previously used to study injection and acceleration from thermal energies into the high energy power-law tail at co-rotating interaction regions (CIRs) in the heliosphere presuming a steady state planar shock (Summerlin & Baring, 2006, Baring and Summerlin, 2008). These simulated power-spectra compare favorably with in-situ measurements from the ULYSSES spacecraft below 60 keV. However, to effectively model the high energy exponential cutoff at energies above 60 keV observed in these distributions, simulations must apply spatial or temporal constraints to the acceleration process. This work studies the effects of a variety of temporal and spatial co! nstraints (including spatial constraints on the turbulent region around the shock as determined by magnetometer data, spatial constraints related to the scale size of the shock and constraints on the acceleration time based on the known limits for the shock's lifetime) on the high energy cut-off and compares simulated particle spectra to those observed by the ULYSSES HI-SCALE instrument in an effort to determine which constraint is creating the cut-off and using that constraining parameter to determine additional information about the shock that can not, normally, be determined by a single data point, such as the spatial extent of the shock or how long the shock has been propagating through the heliosphere before it encounters the spacecraft. Shocks observed by multiple spacecraft will be of particular interest as their parameters will be better constrained than shocks observed by only one spacecraft. To achieve these goals, the simulation will be modified to include the re! trodictive approach of Jones (1978) to accurately track time spent dow nstream while maintaining, to large degree, the large dynamic range and short run times that make this type of simulation so attractive. This work is inspired by examinations of acceleration cutoffs in SEP events performed by various authors (see Li et al., 2009, and references therein), and it is hoped that this work will pave the way for a multi-species analysis similar to theirs that should greatly enhance the information one can derive about shocks based on individual observations.

Multispacecraft study of shock-flux rope interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco-Cano, X.; Burgess, D.; Sundberg, T.; Kajdic, P.

2016-12-01

Interplanetary (IP) shocks can be driven in the solar wind by fast coronal mass ejections. These shocks play an active role in particle acceleration near the Sun and through the heliosphere, being associated to solar energetic particle (SEP) and energetic storm particle (ESP) events. IP shocks can interact with structures in the solar wind, and with planetary magnetospheres. In this work we study how the properties of an IP shock change when it interacts with a medium scale flux rope (FR). We use measurements from CLUSTER, WIND and ACE. These three spacecraft observed the shock-FR interaction at different stages of its evolution. We find that the shock-FR interaction locally changes the shock geometry, affecting ion injection processes, and the upstream and downstream regions. While WIND and ACE observed a quasi-perpendicular shock, CLUSTER crossed a quasi-parallel shock and a foreshock with a variety of ion distributions. The complexity of the ion foreshock can be explained by the dynamics of the shock transitioning from quasi-perpendicular to quasi-parallel, and the geometry of the magnetic field around the flux rope.

The Influence of IMF By on the Bow Shock: Observation Result

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, M.; Lu, J. Y.; Kabin, K.; Yuan, H. Z.; Liu, Z.-Q.; Zhao, J. S.; Li, G.

2018-03-01

In this study we use the bow shock crossings contained in the Space Physics Data Facility database, collected by four spacecraft (IMP 8, Geotail, Magion-4, and Cluster1) to analyze the effect of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) By component on the bow shock position and shape. Although the IMF Bz component is usually considered much more geoeffective than By, we find that the dayside bow shock is more responsive to the eastward component of the IMF than the north-south one. We believe that the explanation lies in the changes that the Bz component induces on the magnetopause location and shape, which largely compensate the corresponding changes in the dayside bow shock location. In the tail, we find that the bow shock cross section is elongated roughly in the direction perpendicular to the IMF direction, which agrees with earlier modeling studies.

Transit Time and Normal Orientation of ICME-driven Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Case, A. W.; Spence, H.; Owens, M.; Riley, P.; Linker, J.; Odstrcil, D.

2006-12-01

Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections (ICMEs) can drive shocks that accelerate particles to great energies. It is important to understand the acceleration, transport, and spectra of these particles in order to quantify this fundamental physical process operating throughout the cosmos. This understanding also helps to better protect astronauts and spacecraft in upcoming missions. We show that the ambient solar wind is crucial in determining characteristics of ICME-driven shocks, which in turn affect energetic particle production. We use a coupled 3-D MHD code of the corona and heliosphere to simulate ICME propagation from 30 solar radii to 1AU. ICMEs of different velocities are injected into a realistic solar wind to determine how the initial speed affects the shape and deceleration of the ICME-driven shock. We use shock transit time and shock normal orientation to quantify these dependencies. We also inject identical ICMEs into different ambient solar winds to quantify the effective drag force on an ICME.

Monte Carlo shock-like solutions to the Boltzmann equation with collective scattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellison, D. C.; Eichler, D.

1984-01-01

The results of Monte Carlo simulations of steady state shocks generated by a collision operator that isotropizes the particles by means of elastic scattering in some locally defined frame of reference are presented. The simulations include both the back reaction of accelerated particles on the inflowing plasma and the free escape of high-energy particles from finite shocks. Energetic particles are found to be naturally extracted out of the background plasma by the shock process with an efficiency in good quantitative agreement with an earlier analytic approximation (Eichler, 1983 and 1984) and observations (Gosling et al., 1981) of the entire particle spectrum at a quasi-parallel interplanetary shock. The analytic approximation, which allows a self-consistent determination of the effective adiabatic index of the shocked gas, is used to calculate the overall acceleration efficiency and particle spectrum for cases where ultrarelativistic energies are obtained. It is found that shocks of the strength necessary to produce galactic cosmic rays put approximately 15 percent of the shock energy into relativistic particles.

Study on multi-satellite, multi-measurement of the structure of the earth's bow shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The pulsation model of the earth's bow shock proposed a nonuniform shock having both perpendicular (abrupt, monotonic) and oblique (oscillatory, multigradient) properties simultaneously, depending on local orientation of the shock surface to the interplanetary field B sub sw in parallel planes defined by B sub sw and solar wind velocity. Multiple, concurrent, satellite observations of the shock and solar wind conditions were used. Twenty-six potentially useful intervals of concurrent Explorer 33 and 35 data acquisition were examined, of which six were selected for closer study. In addition, two years of OGO-5 and HEOS 1 magnetometer data were examined for possible conjunctions to these spacecraft having applicable data. One case of clear nonuniformity and several of field-dependent structure were documented. A computational aid, called pulsation index, was developed.

Research in space physics at the University of Iowa. [energetic particles and electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanallen, J. A.

1978-01-01

Specific fields of current investigation by satellite observation and ground-based radio-astronomical and optical techniques are discussed. Topics include: aspects of energetic particles trapped in the earth's magnetic field and transiently present in the outer magnetosphere and the solar, interplanetary, and terrestrial phenomena associated with them; plasma flows in the magnetosphere and the ionospheric effects of particle precipitation, with corresponding studies of the magnetosphere of Jupiter, Saturn, and possibly Uranus; the origin and propagation of very low frequency radio waves in the earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere; solar particle emissions and their interplanetary propagation and acceleration; solar modulation and the heliocentric radial dependence of the intensity of galactic cosmic rays; radio frequency emissions from the quintescent and flaring sun; shock waves in the interplanetary medium; radio emissions from Jupiter; and radio astronomy of pulsars, flare stars, and other stellar sources.

Interplanetary shocks, Plasma waves and turbulence, Kinetic waves and instabilities, STEREO spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Z.; Breneman, A. W.; Cattell, C. A.; Davis, L.; Grul, P.; Kersten, K.; Wilson, L. B., III

2017-12-01

Determining the role of plasma waves in providing energy dissipation at shock waves is of long-standing interest. Interplanetary (IP) shocks serve as a large database of low Mach number shocks. We examine electric field waveforms captured by the Time Domain Sampler (TDS) on the STEREO spacecraft during the ramps of IP shocks, with emphasis on captures lasting 2.1 seconds. Previous work has used captures of shorter duration (66 and 131 ms on STEREO, and 17 ms on WIND), which allowed for observation of waves with maximum (minimum) frequencies of 125 kHz (15 Hz), 62.5 kHz (8 Hz), and 60 kHz (59 Hz), respectively. The maximum frequencies are comparable to 2-8 times the plasma frequency in the solar wind, enabling observation of Langmuir waves, ion acoustic, and some whistler-mode waves. The 2 second captures resolve lower frequencies ( few Hz), which allows us to analyze packet structure of the whistler-mode waves and some ion acoustic waves. The longer capture time also improves the resolvability of simultaneous wave modes and of waves with frequencies on the order of 10s of Hz. Langmuir waves, however, cannot be identified at this sampling rate, since the plasma frequency is usually higher than 3.9 kHz. IP shocks are identified from multiple databases (Helsinki heliospheric shock database at http://ipshocks.fi, and the STEREO level 3 shock database at ftp://stereoftp.nascom.nasa.gov/pub/ins_data/impact/level3/). Our analysis focuses on TDS captures in shock ramp regions, with ramp durations determined from magnetic field data taken at 8 Hz. Software is used to identify multiple wave modes in any given capture and classify waves as Langmuir, ion acoustic, whistler, lower hybrid, electron cyclotron drift instability, or electrostatic solitary waves. Relevant frequencies are determined from density and magnetic field data collected in situ. Preliminary results suggest that large amplitude (∼ 5 mV/m) ion acoustic waves are most prevalent in the ramp, in agreement with Wilson, et al. Other modes are also observed. Statistical results will be presented and compared with previous studies and theoretical predictions.

STEREO Observations of Waves in the Ramp Regions of Interplanetary Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Z.; Breneman, A. W.; Cattell, C. A.; Davis, L.; Grul, P.; Kersten, K.; Wilson, L. B., III

2017-12-01

Determining the role of plasma waves in providing energy dissipation at shock waves is of long-standing interest. Interplanetary (IP) shocks serve as a large database of low Mach number shocks. We examine electric field waveforms captured by the Time Domain Sampler (TDS) on the STEREO spacecraft during the ramps of IP shocks, with emphasis on captures lasting 2.1 seconds. Previous work has used captures of shorter duration (66 and 131 ms on STEREO, and 17 ms on WIND), which allowed for observation of waves with maximum (minimum) frequencies of 125 kHz (15 Hz), 62.5 kHz (8 Hz), and 60 kHz (59 Hz), respectively. The maximum frequencies are comparable to 2-8 times the plasma frequency in the solar wind, enabling observation of Langmuir waves, ion acoustic, and some whistler-mode waves. The 2 second captures resolve lower frequencies ( few Hz), which allows us to analyze packet structure of the whistler-mode waves and some ion acoustic waves. The longer capture time also improves the resolvability of simultaneous wave modes and of waves with frequencies on the order of 10s of Hz. Langmuir waves, however, cannot be identified at this sampling rate, since the plasma frequency is usually higher than 3.9 kHz. IP shocks are identified from multiple databases (Helsinki heliospheric shock database at http://ipshocks.fi, and the STEREO level 3 shock database at ftp://stereoftp.nascom.nasa.gov/pub/ins_data/impact/level3/). Our analysis focuses on TDS captures in shock ramp regions, with ramp durations determined from magnetic field data taken at 8 Hz. Software is used to identify multiple wave modes in any given capture and classify waves as Langmuir, ion acoustic, whistler, lower hybrid, electron cyclotron drift instability, or electrostatic solitary waves. Relevant frequencies are determined from density and magnetic field data collected in situ. Preliminary results suggest that large amplitude (≥ 5 mV/m) ion acoustic waves are most prevalent in the ramp, in agreement with Wilson, et al. Other modes are also observed. Statistical results will be presented and compared with previous studies and theoretical predictions.

On the deficit problem of mass and energy of solar coronal mass ejections connected with interplanetary shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivanchuk, V. I.; Pishkalo, N. I.

1995-01-01

Mean values of a number of parameters of the most powerful coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and interplanetary shocks generated by these ejections are estimated using an analysis of data obtained by the cosmic coronagraphs and spacecrafts, and geomagnetic storm measurements. It was payed attention that the shock mass and mechanical energy, averaging 5 x 10(exp 16) grm and 2 x 10(exp 32) erg respectively, are nearly 10 times larger than corresponding parameters of the ejections. So, the CME energy deficit problem seems to exist really. To solve this problem one can make an assumption that the process of the mass and energy growth of CMEs during their propagation out of the Sun observed in the solar corona is continued in supercorona too up to distances of 10-30 solar radii. This assumption is confirmed by the data analysis of five events observed using zodiacal light photometers of the HELIOS- I and HELIOS-2 spacecrafts. The mass growth rate is estimated to be equal to (1-7) x 10(exp 11) grm/sec. It is concluded that the CME contribution to mass and energy flows in the solar winds probably, is larger enough than the value of 3-5% adopted usually.

Multispacecraft study of shock-flux rope interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco-Cano, Xochitl; Burgess, David; Sundberg, Torbjorn; Kajdic, Primoz

2017-04-01

Interplanetary (IP) shocks can be driven in the solar wind by fast coronal mass ejections. These shocks can accelerate particles near the Sun and through the heliosphere, being associated to solar energetic particle (SEP) and energetic storm particle (ESP) events. IP shocks can interact with structures in the solar wind, and with planetary magnetospheres. In this study we show how the properties of an IP shock change when it interacts with a medium scale flux rope (FR) like structure. We use data measurements from CLUSTER, WIND and ACE. These three spacecraft observed the shock-FR interaction at different stages of its evolution. We find that the shock-FR interaction locally changes the shock geometry, affecting ion injection processes, and the upstream and downstream regions. While WIND and ACE observed a quasi-perpendicular shock, CLUSTER crossed a quasi-parallel shock and a foreshock with a variety of ion distributions. The complexity of the ion foreshock can be explained by the dynamics of the shock transitioning from quasi-perpendicular to quasi-parallel, and the geometry of the magnetic field around the flux rope. Interactions such as the one we discuss can occur often along the extended IP shock fronts, and hence their importance towards a better understanding of shock acceleration.

Transmission and Emission of Solar Energetic Particles in Semi-transparent Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kocharov, Leon; Laitinen, Timo; Usoskin, Ilya; Vainio, Rami

2014-06-01

While major solar energetic particle (SEP) events are associated with coronal mass ejection (CME)-driven shocks in solar wind, accurate SEP measurements reveal that more than one component of energetic ions exist in the beginning of the events. Solar electromagnetic emissions, including nuclear gamma-rays, suggest that high-energy ions could also be accelerated by coronal shocks, and some of those particles could contribute to SEPs in interplanetary space. However, the CME-driven shock in solar wind is thought to shield any particle source beneath the shock because of the strong scattering required for the diffusive shock acceleration. In this Letter, we consider a shock model that allows energetic particles from the possible behind-shock source to appear in front of the shock simultaneously with SEPs accelerated by the shock itself. We model the energetic particle transport in directions parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field in a spherical shock expanding through the highly turbulent magnetic sector with an embedded quiet magnetic tube, which makes the shock semi-transparent for energetic particles. The model energy spectra and time profiles of energetic ions escaping far upstream of the shock are similar to the profiles observed during the first hour of some gradual SEP events.

Suprathermal protons in the interplanetary solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodrich, C. C.; Lazarus, A. J.

1976-01-01

Using the Mariner 5 solar wind plasma and magnetic field data, we present observations of field-aligned suprathermal proton velocity distributions having pronounced high-energy shoulders. These observations, similar to the interpenetrating stream observations of Feldman et al. (1974), are clear evidence that such proton distributions are interplanetary rather than bow shock associated phenomena. Large Alfven speed is found to be a requirement for the occurrence of suprathermal proton distribution; further, we find the proportion of particles in the shoulder to be limited by the magnitude of the Alfven speed. It is suggested that this last result could indicate that the proton thermal anisotropy is limited at times by wave-particle interactions

Magnetic field studies of the solar wind interaction with venus from the galileo flyby.

PubMed

Kivelson, M G; Kennel, C F; McPherron, R L; Russell, C T; Southwood, D J; Walker, R J; Hammond, C M; Khurana, K K; Strangeway, R J; Coleman, P J

1991-09-27

During the 10 February 1990 flyby of Venus, the Galileo spacecraft skimmed the downstream flank of the planetary bow shock. This provided an opportunity to examine both the global and the local structure of the shock in an interval during which conditions in the solar wind plasma were quite steady. The data show that the cross section of the shock in planes transverse to the flow is smaller in directions aligned with the projection of the interplanetary magnetic field than in directions not so aligned. Ultralow-frequency waves were present in the unshocked solar wind, and their amplitude peaked when the spacecraft was downstream of the foreshock. At large distances down the tail, the Mach number of the flow normal to the shock is low, thus providing the opportunity to study repeated crossings of the collisionless shock in an interesting parameter regime. Some of the shock crossings reveal structure that comes close to the theoretically predicted form of intermediate shocks, whose existence in collisionless plasmas has not been confirmed.

Magnetic field studies of the solar wind interaction with Venus from the Galileo flyby

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kivelson, M. G.; Kennel, C. F.; Mcpherron, R. L.; Russell, C. T.; Southwood, D. J.; Walker, R. J.; Hammond, C. M.; Khurana, K. K.; Strangeway, R. J.; Coleman, P. J.

1991-01-01

During the February 10, 1990 flyby of Venus, the Galileo spacecraft skimmed the downnstream flank of the planetary bow shock. This provided an opportunity to examine both the global and the local structure of the shock in an interval during which conditions in the solar wind plasma were quite steady. The data show that the cross section of the shock in planes transverse to the flow is smaller in directions aligned with the projection of the interplanetary magnetic field than in directions not so aligned. Ultralow-frequency waves were present in the unshocked solar wind, and their amplitude peaked when the spacecraft was downstream of the foreshock. At large distances down the tail, the Mach number of the flow normal to the shock is low, thus providing the opportunity to study repeated crossings of the collisionless shock in an interesting parameter regime. Some of the shock crossings reveal structure that comes close to the theoretically predicted form of intermediate shocks, whose existence in collisionless plasmas has not been confirmed.

A Comparative Study of Shock Structures for the Halloween 2003 and the 23 July 2012 CME Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, C. C.; Liou, K.

2015-12-01

Interplanetary (IP) shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) play an important role in space weather. For example, solar energetic particles are accelerated at the shock and storm sudden commencements are produced by the impingement of the Earth by the shocks. Here, we study shocks associated with two major CME events - the Halloween 2003 and the 23 July 2012 CME events, using a three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamics model (H3DMHD). The H3DMHD (Wu et al. 2007, JGR) combines the kinematic solar wind model (HAF) for regions near the solar surface (2.5-18 Rs) and a 3D magnetohydrodynamics model (Han et al. 1988), which takes output from HAF at 18 Rs and propagates outward up to 1.7 AU. The H3DMHD code has been fully tested and is capable of simulating disturbances propagating in the solar wind. We will focus on the temporal and spatial structure of the CME-driven shocks, including the shock type and strength.

The Bastille Day Magnetic Clouds and Upstream Shocks: Near Earth Interplanetary Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lepping, R. P.; Berdichevsky, D. B.; Burlaga, L. F.; Lazarus, A. J.; Kasper, J.; Desch, M. D.; Wu, C.-C.; Reames, D. V.; Singer, H. J.; Singer, H. J.;

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: Acceleration of cosmic rays by shock waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berezhko, E. G.; Krymskiĭ, G. F.

1988-01-01

Theoretical work on various processes by which shock waves accelerate cosmic rays is reviewed. The most efficient of these processes, Fermi acceleration, is singled out for special attention. A linear theory for this process is presented. The results found on the basis of nonlinear models of Fermi acceleration, which incorporate the modification of the structure caused by the accelerated particles, are reported. There is a discussion of various possibilities for explaining the generation of high-energy particles observed in interplanetary and interstellar space on the basis of a Fermi acceleration mechanism. The acceleration by shock waves from supernova explosions is discussed as a possible source of galactic cosmic rays. The most important unresolved questions in the theory of acceleration of charged particles by shock waves are pointed out.

The Structure of Shocks in the Very Local Interstellar Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mostafavi, P.; Zank, G. P.

2018-02-01

The Voyager 1 magnetometer has detected several shock waves in the very local interstellar medium (VLISM). Interplanetary shock waves can be transmitted across the heliopause (HP) into the VLISM. The first in situ shock observed by Voyager 1 inside the VLISM was remarkably broad and had properties different than those of shocks inside the heliosphere. We present a model of the 2012 VLISM shock, which was observed to be a weak, quasi-perpendicular, low magnetosonic Mach number, low beta, and subcritical shock. Although the heliosphere is a collisionless environment, we show that the VLISM is collisional with respect to the thermal plasma, and that the thermal collisions introduce dissipative terms such as heat conduction and viscosity. The structure of the VLISM shock is determined by thermal proton–proton collisions. VLISM pickup ions (PUIs) do not introduce a significant pressure or dissipation through the shock transition, meaning that the VLISM shock is not mediated by PUIs but only by the thermal gas and magnetic field. Therefore, VLISM shocks are controlled by particle collisions and not by wave–particle interactions. We find that the weak VLISM shock is very broad with a thickness of about 0.12 au, corresponding to the characteristic thermal heat conduction scale length.

AVERAGE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF COSMIC RAYS BEHIND THE INTERPLANETARY SHOCK—GLOBAL MUON DETECTOR NETWORK OBSERVATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kozai, M.; Munakata, K.; Kato, C.

2016-07-10

We analyze the galactic cosmic ray (GCR) density and its spatial gradient in Forbush Decreases (FDs) observed with the Global Muon Detector Network (GMDN) and neutron monitors (NMs). By superposing the GCR density and density gradient observed in FDs following 45 interplanetary shocks (IP-shocks), each associated with an identified eruption on the Sun, we infer the average spatial distribution of GCRs behind IP-shocks. We find two distinct modulations of GCR density in FDs, one in the magnetic sheath and the other in the coronal mass ejection (CME) behind the sheath. The density modulation in the sheath is dominant in themore » western flank of the shock, while the modulation in the CME ejecta stands out in the eastern flank. This east–west asymmetry is more prominent in GMDN data responding to ∼60 GV GCRs than in NM data responding to ∼10 GV GCRs, because of the softer rigidity spectrum of the modulation in the CME ejecta than in the sheath. The geocentric solar ecliptic- y component of the density gradient, G {sub y}, shows a negative (positive) enhancement in FDs caused by the eastern (western) eruptions, while G {sub z} shows a negative (positive) enhancement in FDs caused by the northern (southern) eruptions. This implies that the GCR density minimum is located behind the central flank of IP-shocks and propagating radially outward from the location of the solar eruption. We also confirmed that the average G {sub z} changes its sign above and below the heliospheric current sheet, in accord with the prediction of the drift model for the large-scale GCR transport in the heliosphere.« less

LARGE SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLE EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH FILAMENT ERUPTIONS OUTSIDE ACTIVE REGIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gopalswamy, N.; Mäkelä, P.; Akiyama, S.

2015-06-10

We report on four large filament eruptions (FEs) from solar cycles 23 and 24 that were associated with large solar energetic particle (SEP) events and interplanetary type II radio bursts. The post-eruption arcades corresponded mostly to C-class soft X-ray enhancements, but an M1.0 flare was associated with one event. However, the associated coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were fast (speeds ∼ 1000 km s{sup −1}) and appeared as halo CMEs in the coronagraph field of view. The interplanetary type II radio bursts occurred over a wide wavelength range, indicating the existence of strong shocks throughout the inner heliosphere. No metric typemore » II bursts were present in three events, indicating that the shocks formed beyond 2–3 Rs. In one case, there was a metric type II burst with low starting frequency, indicating a shock formation height of ∼2 Rs. The FE-associated SEP events did have softer spectra (spectral index >4) in the 10–100 MeV range, but there were other low-intensity SEP events with spectral indices ≥4. Some of these events are likely FE-SEP events, but were not classified as such in the literature because they occurred close to active regions. Some were definitely associated with large active region flares, but the shock formation height was large. We definitely find a diminished role for flares and complex type III burst durations in these large SEP events. Fast CMEs and shock formation at larger distances from the Sun seem to be the primary characteristics of the FE-associated SEP events.« less

Amplitudes of solar modulation of low energy cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Von Rosenvinge, T. T.; Paizis, C.

1982-01-01

There have been differences of opinion regarding the origin and behavior of the solar modulation of galactic cosmic rays. It has been shown that the return to solar maximum intensity levels beginning in early 1978 was dominated by Forbush decreases. These Forbush decreases were caused by radially moving interplanetary shocks resulting from large solar flares. The present investigation is concerned with solar modulation effects which were observed during the previous solar minimum. The effects were associated with high-speed streams in the solar wind. These streams caused the formation of corotating interaction regions with both forward and reverse shocks. The modulation effects seen near earth are intimately connected with these shocks.

Treatment of Viscosity in the Shock Waves Observed After Two Consecutive Coronal Mass Ejection Activities CME08/03/2012 and CME15/03/2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavus, Huseyin

2016-11-01

A coronal mass ejection (CME) is one of the most the powerful activities of the Sun. There is a possibility to produce shocks in the interplanetary medium after CMEs. Shock waves can be observed when the solar wind changes its velocity from being supersonic nature to being subsonic nature. The investigations of such activities have a central place in space weather purposes, since; the interaction of shocks with viscosity is one of the most important problems in the supersonic and compressible gas flow regime (Blazek in Computational fluid dynamics: principles and applications. Elsevier, Amsterdam 2001). The main aim of present work is to achieve a search for the viscosity effects in the shocks occurred after two consecutive coronal mass ejection activities in 2012 (i.e. CME08/03/2012 and CME15/03/2012).

Well-defined EUV wave associated with a CME-driven shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunha-Silva, R. D.; Selhorst, C. L.; Fernandes, F. C. R.; Oliveira e Silva, A. J.

2018-05-01

Aims: We report on a well-defined EUV wave observed by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI) on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The event was accompanied by a shock wave driven by a halo CME observed by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO-C2/C3) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), as evidenced by the occurrence of type II bursts in the metric and dekameter-hectometric wavelength ranges. We investigated the kinematics of the EUV wave front and the radio source with the purpose of verifying the association between the EUV wave and the shock wave. Methods: The EUV wave fronts were determined from the SDO/AIA images by means of two appropriate directions (slices). The heights (radial propagation) of the EUV wave observed by STEREO/EUVI and of the radio source associated with the shock wave were compared considering the whole bandwidth of the harmonic lane of the radio emission, whereas the speed of the shock was estimated using the lowest frequencies of the harmonic lane associated with the undisturbed corona, using an appropriate multiple of the Newkirk (1961, ApJ, 133, 983) density model and taking into account the H/F frequency ratio fH/fF = 2. The speed of the radio source associated with the interplanetary shock was determined using the Mann et al. (1999, A&A, 348, 614) density model. Results: The EUV wave fronts determined from the SDO/AIA images revealed the coexistence of two types of EUV waves, a fast one with a speed of 560 km s-1, and a slower one with a speed of 250 km s-1, which corresponds approximately to one-third of the average speed of the radio source ( 680 km s-1). The radio signature of the interplanetary shock revealed an almost constant speed of 930 km s-1, consistent with the linear speed of the halo CME (950 km s-1) and with the values found for the accelerating coronal shock ( 535-823 km s-1), taking into account the gap between the radio emissions.

About the Las Acacias, Trelew and Vassouras Magnetic Observatories Monitoring the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly Region Response to an Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gianibelli, J. C.; Quaglino, N. M.

2007-05-01

The South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA) Region presents evolutive characteristics very important as were observed by a variety of satelital sensors. Important Magnetic Observatories with digital record monitor the effects of the Sun-Earth interaction, such as San Juan de Puerto Rico (SJG), Kourou (KOU), Vassouras (VSS), Las Acacias (LAS), Trelew (TRW), Vernadsky (AIA), Hermanus (HER) and Huancayo (HUA). In the present work we present the features registered during the geomagnetic storm in January 21, 2005, produced by a geoeffective Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) whose Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (ICME) was detected by the instrumental onboard the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Sonde. We analize how the Magnetic Total Intensity records at VSS, TRW and LAS Observatories shows the effect of the entering particles to ionospherical dephts producing a field enhancement following the first Interplanetary Shock (IP) arrival of the ICME. This process manifest in the digital record as an increment over the magnetospheric Ring Current field effect and superinpossed effects over the Antarctic Auroral Electrojet. The analysis and comparison of the records demonstrate that the Ring Current effects are important in SJG and KOU but not in VSS, LAS and TRW observatories, concluding that SAMA region shows a enhancement of the ionospherical currents oposed to those generated at magnetospheric heighs. Moreover in TRW, 5 hours after the ICME shock arrival, shows the effect of the Antarctic Auroral Electrojet counteracting to fields generated by the Ring Current.

Properties of a large-scale interplanetary loop structure as deduced from low-energy proton anisotropy and magnetic field measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tranquille, C.; Sanderson, T. R.; Marsden, R. G.; Wenzel, K.-P.; Smith, E. J.

1987-01-01

Correlated particle and magnetic field measurements by the ISEE 3 spacecraft are presented for the loop structure behind the interplanetary traveling shock event of Nov. 12, 1978. Following the passage of the turbulent shock region, strong bidirectional streaming of low-energy protons is observed for approximately 6 hours, corresponding to a loop thickness of about 0.07 AU. This region is also characterized by a low relative variance of the magnetic field, a depressed proton intensity, and a reduction in the magnetic power spectral density. Using quasi-linear theory applied to a slab model, a value of 3 AU is derived for the mean free path during the passage of the closed loop. It is inferred from this observation that the proton regime associated with the loop structure is experiencing scatter-free transport and that either the length of the loop is approximately 3 AU between the sun and the earth or else the protons are being reflected at both ends of a smaller loop.

Inter-Hemispheric Comparisons of the Ground Magnetic Response to an Interplanetary Shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartinger, M.; Xu, Z.; Clauer, C. R.; Yu, Y.; Weimer, D. R.; Kim, H.; Pilipenko, V.; Welling, D. T.; Behlke, R.; Willer, A. N.

2016-12-01

Models predict that hemispheric differences in ionospheric conductivity affect the high-latitude ground magnetic response during interplanetary shock events. Using ground magnetometer observations from dense north-south chains in both the Northern (Greenland) and Southern (East Antarctic Plateau) hemispheres, we show an event study where that is not the case: nearly the same magnetic response is observed in both hemispheres, despite near-solstice conditions when hemispheric conductivity differences should be large. We compare observations to virtual ground magnetometer output from global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations with the same driving conditions but different ionospheric conductivity profiles: (1) uniform conductivity, (2) variable conductivity appropriate for solar illumination during solstice, (3) the same as 2 but with additional conductivity contributions from auroral precipitation. There are major quantitative differences between simulations, with simulation 3 exhibiting the best agreement with data. Our results demonstrate the importance of constraining ionospheric conductivity - especially contributions from auroral precipitation - before interpreting hemispheric differences in ground magnetic perturbation amplitude. We discuss the application of these results to techniques that relate high-latitude ground magnetometer observations to current or voltage generators.

Real-time Interplanetary Shock Prediciton System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandegriff, J.; Ho, G.; Plauger, J.

A system is being developed to predict the arrival times and maximum intensities of energetic storm particle (ESP) events at the earth. Measurements of particle flux values at L1 being made by the Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor (EPAM) instrument aboard NASA's ACE spacecraft are made available in real-time by the NOAA Space Environment Center as 5 minute averages of several proton and electron energy channels. Past EPAM flux measurements can be used to train forecasting algorithms which then run on the real-time data. Up to 3 days before the arrival of the interplanetary shock associated with an ESP event, characteristic changes in the particle intensities (such as decreased spectral slope and increased overall flux level) are easily discernable. Once the onset of an event is detected, a neural net is used to forecast the arrival time and flux level for the event. We present results obtained with this technique for forecasting the largest of the ESP events detected by EPAM. Forecasting information will be made publicly available through http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/ACE/EPAM/, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab web site for the ACE/EPAM instrument.

Demonstration of a viable quantitative theory for interplanetary type II radio bursts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schmidt, J. M., E-mail: jschmidt@physics.usyd.edu.au; Cairns, Iver H.

Between 29 November and 1 December 2013 the two widely separated spacecraft STEREO A and B observed a long lasting, intermittent, type II radio burst for the extended frequency range ≈ 4 MHz to 30 kHz, including an intensification when the shock wave of the associated coronal mass ejection (CME) reached STEREO A. We demonstrate for the first time our ability to quantitatively and accurately simulate the fundamental (F) and harmonic (H) emission of type II bursts from the higher corona (near 11 solar radii) to 1 AU. Our modeling requires the combination of data-driven three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations for the CME andmore » plasma background, carried out with the BATS-R-US code, with an analytic quantitative kinetic model for both F and H radio emission, including the electron reflection at the shock, growth of Langmuir waves and radio waves, and the radiations propagation to an arbitrary observer. The intensities and frequencies of the observed radio emissions vary hugely by factors ≈ 10{sup 6} and ≈ 10{sup 3}, respectively; the theoretical predictions are impressively accurate, being typically in error by less than a factor of 10 and 20 %, for both STEREO A and B. We also obtain accurate predictions for the timing and characteristics of the shock and local radio onsets at STEREO A, the lack of such onsets at STEREO B, and the z-component of the magnetic field at STEREO A ahead of the shock, and in the sheath. Very strong support is provided by these multiple agreements for the theory, the efficacy of the BATS-R-US code, and the vision of using type IIs and associated data-theory iterations to predict whether a CME will impact Earth’s magnetosphere and drive space weather events.« less

Demonstration of a viable quantitative theory for interplanetary type II radio bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, J. M.; Cairns, Iver H.

2016-03-01

Between 29 November and 1 December 2013 the two widely separated spacecraft STEREO A and B observed a long lasting, intermittent, type II radio burst for the extended frequency range ≈ 4 MHz to 30 kHz, including an intensification when the shock wave of the associated coronal mass ejection (CME) reached STEREO A. We demonstrate for the first time our ability to quantitatively and accurately simulate the fundamental (F) and harmonic (H) emission of type II bursts from the higher corona (near 11 solar radii) to 1 AU. Our modeling requires the combination of data-driven three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations for the CME and plasma background, carried out with the BATS-R-US code, with an analytic quantitative kinetic model for both F and H radio emission, including the electron reflection at the shock, growth of Langmuir waves and radio waves, and the radiations propagation to an arbitrary observer. The intensities and frequencies of the observed radio emissions vary hugely by factors ≈ 106 and ≈ 103, respectively; the theoretical predictions are impressively accurate, being typically in error by less than a factor of 10 and 20 %, for both STEREO A and B. We also obtain accurate predictions for the timing and characteristics of the shock and local radio onsets at STEREO A, the lack of such onsets at STEREO B, and the z-component of the magnetic field at STEREO A ahead of the shock, and in the sheath. Very strong support is provided by these multiple agreements for the theory, the efficacy of the BATS-R-US code, and the vision of using type IIs and associated data-theory iterations to predict whether a CME will impact Earth's magnetosphere and drive space weather events.

Prediction of CMEs and Type II Bursts from Sun to Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cairns, I. H.; Schmidt, J. M.; Gopalswamy, N.; van der Holst, B.

2017-12-01

Most major space weather events are due to fast CMEs and their shocks interacting with Earth's magnetosphere. SImilarly, type II solar radio bursts are well-known signatures of CMEs and their shocks moving through the corona and solar wind. The properties of the space weather events and the type II radio bursts depend sensitively on the CME velocity, shape, and evolution as functions of position and time, as well as on the magnetic field vector in the coronal and solar wind plasma, downstream of the CME shock, and inside the CME. We report simulations of CMEs and type II bursts from the Sun to Earth with the Space Weather Modelling Framework (2015 and 2016 versions), set up carefully using relevant data, and a kinetic radio emission theory. Excellent agreement between observations, simulations, and theory are found for the coronal (metric) type II burst of 7 September 2014 and associated CME, including the lack of radio emission in the solar wind beyond about 10 solar radii. Similarly, simulation of a CME and type II burst from the Sun to 1 AU over the period 29 November - 1 December 2013 yield excellent agreement for the radio burst from 10 MHz to 30 kHz for STEREO A and B and Wind, arrival of the CME at STEREO A within 1 hour reported time, deceleration of the CME in agreement with the Gopalswamy et al. [2011] observational analyses, and Bz rotations at STEREO A from upstream of the CME shock to within the CME. These results provide strong support for the type II theory and also that the Space WeatherModeling Framework can accurately predict the properties and evolution of CMEs and the interplanetary magnetic field and plasma from the Sun to 1 AU when sufficiently carefully initialized.

Dynamics of Solar Energetic Particles in the Presence of a Shock Wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timofeev, V. E.; Petukhov, Ivan; Petukhov, Stanislav; Starodubtsev, Sergei

2003-07-01

From the analysis of problem solutions on the solar energetic particle propagation in the presence of a plane shock wave described by the diffusion convective transport equation, the condition and manifestations for the influence of a shock wave on the SEP propagation in the solar wind have been determined. Solar energetic particles (SEP) in gradual events are generated by shock waves (see, for example, [1] and references there). The SEP generation region is limited, on the whole, by the solar corona. Proton fluxes of 470 MeV to 21 GeV energies, a maximum of which occur at a time when the shock in the atmosphere of the Sun reaches heights equal to 5 10 solar radii [2] indicate to it. It is also confirmed by the significant advancing of the occurrence time of maximum in the SEP intensity with kinetic energies more than 10 MeV relative to the shock front arrival moment to Earth's orbit. model calculations for the particles acceleration by the diffusive mechanism in conditions, typical for the solar corona, show that the time taken to pass the solar atmosphere by the shock is quite sufficient to form the particle spectrum corresponding to the SEP characteristics observed [3,4]. Lee and Ryan [5] investigated the problem of SEP gradual event generation, propagation and confirmed the close association between the diffusive acceleration mechanism and SEP events. The absence of depending of particle diffusion coefficients on the energy is a lack of this model. As an extension of preceding investigations, in this work the temporal dynamics of the particle spectrum in the presence of a plane shock for diffusion coefficients depending on the particle energy and also their change in time is studied. The SEP event from a moment of arising of a shock to a moment of it's arrival on the Earth's orbit can be divided on two stages: the first stage (duration is ˜ 1 hour) is a generation of SEP in the solar corona, the second stage (duration is ˜ 1 day) is a propagation in interplanetary space in the presence of a shock. Here we consider the second stage only which as believed to be began with the injection of the particle spectrum formed during the first stage.

Wave-Particle Interactions and Particle Acceleration in Turbulent Plasmas: Hybrid Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucharek, Harald; Pogorelov, Nikolai; Mueller, Hans; Gamayunov, Konstantin; Farrugia, Charles

2015-04-01

Wave-particle interactions and acceleration processes are present in all key regions inside and outside of the heliosphere. Spacecraft observations measure ion distributions and accelerated ion populations, which are the result of one or several processes. For instance STEREO measures energetic particles associated with interplanetary discontinuities and in the solar wind. Voyager and IBEX provide unique data of energetic particles from the termination shock and the inner and outer heliopause. The range of plasma conditions covered by observations is enormous. However, the physical processes causing particle acceleration and wave-particle interaction and determining the particle distributions are still unknown. Currently two mechanisms, the so-called pumping mechanism (Fisk and Gloeckler, 2010) and merging/contracting island (Fermo, Drake & Swisdak, 2010) are discussed as promising models. In order to determine these individual processes, numerical models or theoretical considerations are needed. Hybrid simulations, which include all kinetic processes self-consistently on the ion level, are a very proven, powerful tool to investigate wave-particle interaction, turbulence, and phase-space evolution of pickup and solar wind ions. In the framework of this study we performed 3D multi-species hybrid simulations for an ion/ion beam instability to study the temporal evolution of ion distributions, their stability, and the influence of self-generated waves. We investigated the energization of ions downstream of interplanetary discontinuities and shocks and downstream of the termination shock, the turbulence, and growth rate of instabilities and compared the results with theoretical predictions. The simulations show that ions can be accelerated downstream of collisionless shocks by trapping of charged particles in coherent wave fronts.

Observations of low-energy electrons upstream of the earth's bow shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reasoner, D. L.

1974-01-01

Observations of electron fluxes with a lunar-based electron spectrometer when the moon was upstream of the earth have shown that a subset of observed fluxes are strongly controlled by the interplanetary magnetic field direction. The fluxes occur only when the IMF lines connect back to the earth's bow shock. Observed densities and temperatures were in the ranges 2-4 x 0,001/cu cm and 1.7-2.8 x 1,000,000 K. It is shown that these electrons can account for increases in effective solar wind electron temperatures on bow-shock connected field lines which have been observed previously by other investigators. It is further shown that if a model of the bow shock with an electrostatic potential barrier is assumed, the potential can be estimated to be 500 volts.

Simulated Prompt Acceleration of Multi-MeV Electrons by the 17 March 2015 Interplanetary Shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudson, Mary; Jaynes, Allison; Kress, Brian; Li, Zhao; Patel, Maulik; Shen, Xiao-Chen; Thaller, Scott; Wiltberger, Michael; Wygant, John

2017-10-01

Prompt enhancement of relativistic electron flux at L = 3-5 has been reported from Van Allen Probes Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) measurements associated with the 17 March 2015 interplanetary shock compression of the dayside magnetosphere. Acceleration by ˜1 MeV is inferred on less than a drift timescale as seen in prior shock compression events, which launch a magnetosonic azimuthal electric field impulse tailward. This impulse propagates from the dayside around the flanks accelerating electrons in drift resonance at the dusk flank. Such longitudinally localized acceleration events produce a drift echo signature which was seen at >1 MeV energy on both Van Allen Probe spacecraft, with sustained observations by Probe B outbound at L = 5 at 2100 MLT at the time of impulse arrival, measured by the Electric Fields and Waves instrument. MHD test particle simulations are presented which reproduce drift echo features observed in the REPT measurements at Probe B, including the energy and pitch angle dependence of drift echoes observed. While the flux enhancement was short lived for this event due to subsequent inward motion of the magnetopause, stronger events with larger electric field impulses, as observed in March 1991 and the Halloween 2003 storm, produce enhancements which can be quantified by the inward radial transport and energization determined by the induction electric field resulting from dayside compression.

A model of the magnetosheath magnetic field during magnetic clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turc, L.; Fontaine, D.; Savoini, P.; Kilpua, E. K. J.

2014-02-01

Magnetic clouds (MCs) are huge interplanetary structures which originate from the Sun and have a paramount importance in driving magnetospheric storms. Before reaching the magnetosphere, MCs interact with the Earth's bow shock. This may alter their structure and therefore modify their expected geoeffectivity. We develop a simple 3-D model of the magnetosheath adapted to MCs conditions. This model is the first to describe the interaction of MCs with the bow shock and their propagation inside the magnetosheath. We find that when the MC encounters the Earth centrally and with its axis perpendicular to the Sun-Earth line, the MC's magnetic structure remains mostly unchanged from the solar wind to the magnetosheath. In this case, the entire dayside magnetosheath is located downstream of a quasi-perpendicular bow shock. When the MC is encountered far from its centre, or when its axis has a large tilt towards the ecliptic plane, the MC's structure downstream of the bow shock differs significantly from that upstream. Moreover, the MC's structure also differs from one region of the magnetosheath to another and these differences vary with time and space as the MC passes by. In these cases, the bow shock configuration is mainly quasi-parallel. Strong magnetic field asymmetries arise in the magnetosheath; the sign of the magnetic field north-south component may change from the solar wind to some parts of the magnetosheath. We stress the importance of the Bx component. We estimate the regions where the magnetosheath and magnetospheric magnetic fields are anti-parallel at the magnetopause (i.e. favourable to reconnection). We find that the location of anti-parallel fields varies with time as the MCs move past Earth's environment, and that they may be situated near the subsolar region even for an initially northward magnetic field upstream of the bow shock. Our results point out the major role played by the bow shock configuration in modifying or keeping the structure of the MCs unchanged. Note that this model is not restricted to MCs, it can be used to describe the magnetosheath magnetic field under an arbitrary slowly varying interplanetary magnetic field.

Solar Wind Features Responsible for Magnetic Storms and Substorms During the Declining Phase of the Solar Cycle: 197

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsurutani, B.; Arballo, J.

1994-01-01

We examine interplanetary data and geomagnetic activity indices during 1974 when two long-lasting solar wind corotating streams existed. We find that only 3 major storms occurred during 1974, and all were associated with coronal mass ejections. Each high speed stream was led by a shock, so the three storms had sudden commencements. Two of the 1974 major storms were associated with shock compression of preexisting southward fields and one was caused by southward fields within a magnetic cloud. Corotating streams were responsible for recurring moderate to weak magnetic storms.

Energetic Particle Sounding of the Magnetopause Deformed by Hot Flow Anomaly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, L.; Zong, Q.; Zhang, H.

2017-12-01

Hot flow anomalies (HFAs), which are frequently observed near Earth's bow shock, are phenomena resulting from the interaction between interplanetary discontinuities and Earth's bow shock. Such transient phenomena upstream the bow shock can cause significant deformation of the bow shock and the magnetosphere, generating traveling convection vortices, field-aligned currents, and ULF waves in the Earth's magnetosphere. A large HFA was observed by MMS on November 19, 2015, lasting about 16 minutes. In this study, energetic particle sounding method with high time resolution (150 ms) Fast Plasma Investigation (FPI) data is used to determine the deformed magnetopause distances, orientations, and structures in the interval when MMS pass through the deformed magnetopause. The energetic particle sounding result from single MMS satellite for every moment in the interval when the distance from the magnetopause to the satellite is less than two proton gyro radii shows the profile of the deformed magnetopause.

Evaluation of a cost-effective loads approach. [shock spectra/impedance method for Viking Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garba, J. A.; Wada, B. K.; Bamford, R.; Trubert, M. R.

1976-01-01

A shock spectra/impedance method for loads predictions is used to estimate member loads for the Viking Orbiter, a 7800-lb interplanetary spacecraft that has been designed using transient loads analysis techniques. The transient loads analysis approach leads to a lightweight structure but requires complex and costly analyses. To reduce complexity and cost, a shock spectra/impedance method is currently being used to design the Mariner Jupiter Saturn spacecraft. This method has the advantage of using low-cost in-house loads analysis techniques and typically results in more conservative structural loads. The method is evaluated by comparing the increase in Viking member loads to the loads obtained by the transient loads analysis approach. An estimate of the weight penalty incurred by using this method is presented. The paper also compares the calculated flight loads from the transient loads analyses and the shock spectra/impedance method to measured flight data.

On the shock response of Pisum Sativum (a.k.a the Common Pea)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leighs, James; Hazell, Paul; Appleby-Thomas, Gareth

2011-06-01

The high strain-rate response of biological and organic structures is of interest to numerous fields ranging from the food industry (dynamic pasteurisation) to astrobiology (e.g. the theory of panspermia, which suggests that planets could be `seeded' with life `piggy-backing' of interplanetary bodies). Consequently, knowledge of the damage mechanisms and viability of shocked organic material is of paramount importance. In this study a single-stage gas-gun has been employed to subject samples of Pisum Sativum (the Common Pea) to semi-planar shock loading, corresponding to impact pressures of up to c.3 GPa. The experimental approach adopted is discussed along with results from Manganin gauges embedded in the target capsule which show the loading history. Further, the viability of the shock-loaded peas was investigated via attempts at germination. Finally, microscopic examination of the impacted specimens allowed a qualitative assessment of damage mechanisms to be made.

Real-time Interplanetary Shock Prediction System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandegriff, J. D.; Ho, G. C.; Plauger, J. M.

2002-05-01

We are creating a system to predict the arrival times and maximum intensities of energetic storm particle (ESP) events at the earth using particle fluxes measured by the EPAM instrument aboard NASA's ACE spacecraft. Real-time flux measurements, consisting of 5 minute averages made available 24 hours per day by the NOAA Space Environment Center, are fed into algorithms looking for characteristic changes in flux, velocity dispersion, and anisotropy. These quantities typically show changes up to 3 hours before shock passage, and thus we expect our system to deliver enhanced probabilities for shock arrival with approximately the same lead time. Forecasting information will be made publicly available through http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/ACE/EPAM/, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab web site for the ACE/EPAM instrument. Early results on the training of our algorithms and comparisons with past shock data will be presented.

Structure of a quasi-parallel, quasi-laminar bow shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenstadt, E. W.; Russell, C. T.; Formisano, V.; Hedgecock, P. C.; Scarf, F. L.; Neugebauer, M.; Holzer, R. E.

1976-01-01

A thick, quasi-parallel bow shock structure was observed with field and particle detectors of both HEOS 1 and OGO 5. The typical magnetic pulsation structure was at least 1 to 2 earth radii thick radially and was accompanied by irregular but distinct plasma distributions characteristic of neither the solar wind nor the magnetosheath. Waves constituting the large pulsations were polarized principally in the plane of the nominal shock, therefore also in the plane perpendicular to the average interplanetary field. A separate interpulsation regime detected between bursts of large amplitude oscillations was similar to the upstream wave region magnetically, but was characterized by disturbed plasma flux and enhanced noise around the ion plasma frequency. The shock structure appeared to be largely of an oblique, whistler type, probably complicated by counterstreaming high energy protons. Evidence for firehose instability-based structure was weak at best and probably negative.

Shock and statistical acceleration of energetic particles in the interplanetary medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valdes-Galicia, J. F.; Moussas, X.; Quenby, J. J.; Neubauer, F. M.; Schwenn, R.

1985-01-01

Definite evidence for particle acceleration in the solar wind came around a decade ago. Two likely sources are known to exist: particles may be accelerated by the turbulence resulting from the superposition of Alfven and Magnetosonic waves (Statistical Acceleration) or they may be accelerated directly at shock fronts formed by the interaction of fast and slow solar wind (CIR's) or by traveling shocks due to sporadic coronal mass ejections. Naurally both mechanisms may be operative. In this work the acceleration problem was tackled numerically using Helios 1 and 2 data to create a realistic representation of the Heliospheric plasma. Two 24 hour samples were used: one where there are only wave like fluctuations of the field (Day 90 Helios 1) and another with a shock present in it (Day 92 of Helios 2) both in 1976 during the STIP 2 interval. Transport coefficients in energy space have been calculated for particles injected in each sample and the effect of the shock studied in detail.

Statistical Study of ICMEs and Their Sheaths During Solar Cycle 23 (1996 - 2008)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitsakou, E.; Moussas, X.

2014-08-01

We have created a new catalog of 325 interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) using their in-situ plasma signatures from 1996 to 2008; this time period includes Solar Cycle 23. The data set came from the OMNI near-Earth database. The one-minute resolution data that we used include magnetic-field strength, solar-wind speed, proton density, proton temperature, and plasma β. We compared this new catalog with other published catalogs. For every event, we indicated the presence of an ICME-driven shock. We identified the boundaries of ICMEs and their sheaths, and examined the statistical properties of characteristic parameters. We derived the duration and radial width of ICMEs and sheaths in the region near Earth. The statistical analysis of all events shows that, on average, sheaths travel faster than ICMEs, which indicates the expansion of CMEs in the interplanetary medium. They have higher mean magnetic-field strength values than ICMEs, and they are denser. They have higher mean proton temperature and plasma β than ICMEs, but they are smaller than ICMEs and last for a shorter time. The events were divided into different categories according to whether they included a shock and according to the phase of Solar Cycle 23 in which they are observed, i.e. ascending, maximum, or descending phase. We compared the different categories. We present a catalog of events available to the scientific community that studies ICMEs, and show the distribution and statistical properties of various parameters during these phenomena that govern the solar wind, the interplanetary medium, and space weather.

On improvement to the Shock Propagation Model (SPM) applied to interplanetary shock transit time forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, H. J.; Wei, F. S.; Feng, X. S.; Xie, Y. Q.

2008-09-01

This paper investigates methods to improve the predictions of Shock Arrival Time (SAT) of the original Shock Propagation Model (SPM). According to the classical blast wave theory adopted in the SPM, the shock propagating speed is determined by the total energy of the original explosion together with the background solar wind speed. Noting that there exists an intrinsic limit to the transit times computed by the SPM predictions for a specified ambient solar wind, we present a statistical analysis on the forecasting capability of the SPM using this intrinsic property. Two facts about SPM are found: (1) the error in shock energy estimation is not the only cause of the prediction errors and we should not expect that the accuracy of SPM to be improved drastically by an exact shock energy input; and (2) there are systematic differences in prediction results both for the strong shocks propagating into a slow ambient solar wind and for the weak shocks into a fast medium. Statistical analyses indicate the physical details of shock propagation and thus clearly point out directions of the future improvement of the SPM. A simple modification is presented here, which shows that there is room for improvement of SPM and thus that the original SPM is worthy of further development.

Non-Extensive Statistical Analysis of Solar Wind Electric, Magnetic Fields and Solar Energetic Particle time series.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlos, G. P.; Malandraki, O.; Khabarova, O.; Livadiotis, G.; Pavlos, E.; Karakatsanis, L. P.; Iliopoulos, A. C.; Parisis, K.

2017-12-01

In this work we study the non-extensivity of Solar Wind space plasma by using electric-magnetic field data obtained by in situ spacecraft observations at different dynamical states of solar wind system especially in interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), Interplanetary shocks, magnetic islands, or near the Earth Bow shock. Especially, we study the energetic particle non extensive fractional acceleration mechanism producing kappa distributions as well as the intermittent turbulence mechanism producing multifractal structures related with the Tsallis q-entropy principle. We present some new and significant results concerning the dynamics of ICMEs observed in the near Earth at L1 solar wind environment, as well as its effect in Earth's magnetosphere as well as magnetic islands. In-situ measurements of energetic particles at L1 are analyzed, in response to major solar eruptive events at the Sun (intense flares, fast CMEs). The statistical characteristics are obtained and compared for the Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) originating at the Sun, the energetic particle enhancements associated with local acceleration during the CME-driven shock passage over the spacecraft (Energetic Particle Enhancements, ESPs) as well as the energetic particle signatures observed during the passage of the ICME. The results are referred to Tsallis non-extensive statistics and in particular to the estimation of Tsallis q-triplet, (qstat, qsen, qrel) of electric-magnetic field and the kappa distributions of solar energetic particles time series of the ICME, magnetic islands, resulting from the solar eruptive activity or the internal Solar Wind dynamics. Our results reveal significant differences in statistical and dynamical features, indicating important variations of the magnetic field dynamics both in time and space domains during the shock event, in terms of rate of entropy production, relaxation dynamics and non-equilibrium meta-stable stationary states.

The Solar Wind-Mars Interaction Boundaries in Three Dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruesbeck, J.; Espley, J. R.; Connerney, J. E. P.; DiBraccio, G. A.; Soobiah, Y. I. J.

2017-12-01

The Martian magnetosphere is a product of the interaction of Mars with the interplanetary magnetic field and the supersonic solar wind. A bow shock forms upstream of the planet as the solar wind is diverted around the planet. Closer to the planet another boundary is located that separates the shock-heated solar wind plasma from the planetary plasma in the Martian magnetosphere. The Martian magnetosphere is induced by the pile-up of the interplanetary magnetic field. This induced magnetospheric boundary (IMB) has been referred to by different names, in part due to the observations available at the time. The location of these boundaries have been previously analyzed using data from Phobos 2, Mars Global Surveyor, and Mars Express resulting in models describing their average shapes. Observations of individual transitions demonstrate that it is a boundary with a finite thickness. The MAVEN spacecraft has been in orbit about Mars since November 2014 resulting in many encounters of the spacecraft with the boundaries. Using data from the Particle and Fields Package (PFP), we identify over 1000 bow shock crossings and over 4000 IMB crossings that we use to model the average locations. We model the boundaries as a 3-dimensional surface allowing observations of asymmetry. The average location of the bow shock and IMB lies further from the planet in the southern hemisphere, where stronger crustal fields are present. The MAVEN PFP dataset allows concurrent observations of the magnetic field and plasma environment to investigate the nature of the IMB and the relationship of the boundary to the different plasma signatures. Finally, we model the upstream and downstream encounters of the boundaries separately to produce shell models that quantify the finite thicknesses of the boundaries.

Comparison of interplanetary CME arrival times and solar wind parameters based on the WSA-ENLIL model with three cone types and observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Soojeong; Moon, Y.-J.; Lee, Jae-Ok; Na, Hyeonock

2014-09-01

We have made a comparison between coronal mass ejection (CME)-associated shock propagations based on the Wang-Sheeley-Arge (WSA)-ENLIL model using three cone types and in situ observations. For this we use 28 full-halo CMEs, whose cone parameters are determined and their corresponding interplanetary shocks were observed at the Earth, from 2001 to 2002. We consider three different cone types (an asymmetric cone model, an ice cream cone model, and an elliptical cone model) to determine 3-D CME cone parameters (radial velocity, angular width, and source location), which are the input values of the WSA-ENLIL model. The mean absolute error of the CME-associated shock travel times for the WSA-ENLIL model using the ice-cream cone model is 9.9 h, which is about 1 h smaller than those of the other models. We compare the peak values and profiles of solar wind parameters (speed and density) with in situ observations. We find that the root-mean-square errors of solar wind peak speed and density for the ice cream and asymmetric cone model are about 190 km/s and 24/cm3, respectively. We estimate the cross correlations between the models and observations within the time lag of ± 2 days from the shock travel time. The correlation coefficients between the solar wind speeds from the WSA-ENLIL model using three cone types and in situ observations are approximately 0.7, which is larger than those of solar wind density (cc ˜0.6). Our preliminary investigations show that the ice cream cone model seems to be better than the other cone models in terms of the input parameters of the WSA-ENLIL model.

Effect of reflected ions on the formation of the structure of interplanetary quasi-perpendicular shocks for Mach numbers lower than the first critical mach number

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eselevich, V. G.; Borodkova, N. L.; Sapunova, O. V.; Zastenker, G. N.; Yermolaev, Yu. I.

2017-11-01

Based on the data of the BMSW instrument installed on the of SPEKTR-R spacecraft, as well as according to the data of instruments of the WIND spacecraft, etc., using two examples, the paper has studied the role of ions reflected from the front and associated structural features of quasi-perpendicular interplanetary shocks (IS) with the Alfvén Mach number M A lower than the first critical Mach number M c1 . It has been shown that BSs with the finite parameter 0.1 < β1 < 1 contain a small fraction of reflected protons, which play a significant role in forming the front structure (β1 is the ratio of gas-to-magnetic pressure before the shock front). In particular, in the case of a perpendicular shock recorded on August 24, 2013 (the angle between the magnetic field direction and the normal to the front θBn ≈ 85°), an IS with a small Mach number ( M A ≈ 1.4) and small β1 ≈ 0.2 is shown that the interactions of reflected ions with inflowing solar wind may result in the collisionless heating of ions in front of and behind it. The case of the oblique (θBn = 63°) IS on April 19, 2014 with a small Mach number ( M A ≈ 1.2) and small β1 ≈ 0.5 has been investigated. It has been found that, before the front, there is a sequence of trains of magnetosonic waves, the amplitude of which decreases to zero upon increasing their distance from the front. The mechanism of their formation is associated with the development of instability caused by the ions reflected from the front.

Multi-point Shock and Flux Rope Analysis of Multiple Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections around 2010 August 1 in the Inner Heliosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Möstl, C.; Farrugia, C. J.; Kilpua, E. K. J.; Jian, L. K.; Liu, Y.; Eastwood, J. P.; Harrison, R. A.; Webb, D. F.; Temmer, M.; Odstrcil, D.; Davies, J. A.; Rollett, T.; Luhmann, J. G.; Nitta, N.; Mulligan, T.; Jensen, E. A.; Forsyth, R.; Lavraud, B.; de Koning, C. A.; Veronig, A. M.; Galvin, A. B.; Zhang, T. L.; Anderson, B. J.

2012-10-01

We present multi-point in situ observations of a complex sequence of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) which may serve as a benchmark event for numerical and empirical space weather prediction models. On 2010 August 1, instruments on various space missions, Solar Dynamics Observatory/Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Solar-TErrestrial-RElations-Observatory (SDO/SOHO/STEREO), monitored several CMEs originating within tens of degrees from the solar disk center. We compare their imprints on four widely separated locations, spanning 120° in heliospheric longitude, with radial distances from the Sun ranging from MESSENGER (0.38 AU) to Venus Express (VEX, at 0.72 AU) to Wind, ACE, and ARTEMIS near Earth and STEREO-B close to 1 AU. Calculating shock and flux rope parameters at each location points to a non-spherical shape of the shock, and shows the global configuration of the interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), which have interacted, but do not seem to have merged. VEX and STEREO-B observed similar magnetic flux ropes (MFRs), in contrast to structures at Wind. The geomagnetic storm was intense, reaching two minima in the Dst index (≈ - 100 nT), and was caused by the sheath region behind the shock and one of two observed MFRs. MESSENGER received a glancing blow of the ICMEs, and the events missed STEREO-A entirely. The observations demonstrate how sympathetic solar eruptions may immerse at least 1/3 of the heliosphere in the ecliptic with their distinct plasma and magnetic field signatures. We also emphasize the difficulties in linking the local views derived from single-spacecraft observations to a consistent global picture, pointing to possible alterations from the classical picture of ICMEs.

Solar energetic particle anisotropies and insights into particle transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leske, R. A.; Cummings, A. C.; Cohen, C. M. S.; Mewaldt, R. A.; Labrador, A. W.; Stone, E. C.; Wiedenbeck, M. E.; Christian, E. R.; Rosenvinge, T. T. von

2016-03-01

As solar energetic particles (SEPs) travel through interplanetary space, their pitch-angle distributions are shaped by the competing effects of magnetic focusing and scattering. Measurements of SEP anisotropies can therefore reveal information about interplanetary conditions such as magnetic field strength, topology, and turbulence levels at remote locations from the observer. Onboard each of the two STEREO spacecraft, the Low Energy Telescope (LET) measures pitch-angle distributions for protons and heavier ions up to iron at energies of about 2-12 MeV/nucleon. Anisotropies observed using LET include bidirectional flows within interplanetary coronal mass ejections, sunward-flowing particles when STEREO was magnetically connected to the back side of a shock, and loss-cone distributions in which particles with large pitch angles underwent magnetic mirroring at an interplanetary field enhancement that was too weak to reflect particles with the smallest pitch angles. Unusual oscillations in the width of a beamed distribution at the onset of the 23 July 2012 SEP event were also observed and remain puzzling. We report LET anisotropy observations at both STEREO spacecraft and discuss their implications for SEP transport, focusing exclusively on the extreme event of 23 July 2012 in which a large variety of anisotropies were present at various times during the event.

The density of cometary protons upstream of Comet Halley's bow shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neugebauer, M.; Goldstein, B. E.; Balsiger, H.; Neubauer, F. M.; Schwenn, R.; Shelley, E. G.

1989-02-01

Cometary protons picked up by the solar wind were detected by the high energy range spectrometer of the Giotto ion mass spectrometer starting at a cometocentric distance of about 12 million km. On the average, the density of cometary protons varied approximately as the inverse square of the cometocentric distance, reaching a value of 0.11/cu cm just outside the bow shock. The data can be successfully fit to models that include substantial amounts of both slow (1 km/s) and fast (8 km/s or greater) H atoms beyond the bow shock. Large local variations in the density of picked-up protons can be explained on the basis of variations in the direction of the interplanetary magnetic field in upstream regions where pitch angle scattering was weak.

Are supernova remnants quasi-parallel or quasi-perpendicular accelerators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spangler, S. R.; Leckband, J. A.; Cairns, I. H.

1989-01-01

Observations of shock waves in the solar system which show a pronounced difference in the plasma wave and particle environment depending on whether the shock is propagating along or perpendicular to the interplanetary magnetic field are discussed. Theories for particle acceleration developed for quasi-parallel and quasi-perpendicular shocks, when extended to the interstellar medium suggest that the relativistic electrons in radio supernova remnants are accelerated by either the Q parallel or Q perpendicular mechanisms. A model for the galactic magnetic field and published maps of supernova remnants were used to search for a dependence of structure on the angle Phi. Results show no tendency for the remnants as a whole to favor the relationship expected for either mechanism, although individual sources resemble model remnants of one or the other acceleration process.

Plasma Heating and Alfvénic Turbulence Enhancement During Two Steps of Energy Conversion in Magnetic Reconnection Exhaust Region of Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiansen, He; Xingyu, Zhu; Yajie, Chen; Chadi, Salem; Michael, Stevens; Hui, Li; Wenzhi, Ruan; Lei, Zhang; Chuanyi, Tu

2018-04-01

The magnetic reconnection exhaust is a pivotal region with enormous magnetic energy being continuously released and converted. The physical processes of energy conversion involved are so complicated that an all-round understanding based on in situ measurements is still lacking. We present the evidence of plasma heating by illustrating the broadening of proton and electron velocity distributions, which are extended mainly along the magnetic field, in an exhaust of interchange reconnection between two interplanetary magnetic flux tubes of the same polarity on the Sun. The exhaust is asymmetric across an interface, with both sides being bounded by a pair of compound discontinuities consisting of rotational discontinuity and slow shock. The energized plasmas are found to be firehose unstable, and responsible for the emanation of Alfvén waves during the second step of energy conversion. It is realized that the energy conversion in the exhaust can be a two-step process involving both plasma energization and wave emission.

Strong coronal channelling and interplanetary evolution of a solar storm up to Earth and Mars

PubMed Central

Möstl, Christian; Rollett, Tanja; Frahm, Rudy A.; Liu, Ying D.; Long, David M.; Colaninno, Robin C.; Reiss, Martin A.; Temmer, Manuela; Farrugia, Charles J.; Posner, Arik; Dumbović, Mateja; Janvier, Miho; Démoulin, Pascal; Boakes, Peter; Devos, Andy; Kraaikamp, Emil; Mays, Mona L.; Vršnak, Bojan

2015-01-01

The severe geomagnetic effects of solar storms or coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are to a large degree determined by their propagation direction with respect to Earth. There is a lack of understanding of the processes that determine their non-radial propagation. Here we present a synthesis of data from seven different space missions of a fast CME, which originated in an active region near the disk centre and, hence, a significant geomagnetic impact was forecasted. However, the CME is demonstrated to be channelled during eruption into a direction +37±10° (longitude) away from its source region, leading only to minimal geomagnetic effects. In situ observations near Earth and Mars confirm the channelled CME motion, and are consistent with an ellipse shape of the CME-driven shock provided by the new Ellipse Evolution model, presented here. The results enhance our understanding of CME propagation and shape, which can help to improve space weather forecasts. PMID:26011032

STEREO observations of insitu waves in the vicinity of interplanetary shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golla, T.; MacDowall, R. J.

2017-12-01

We present the high time resolution observations of the in situ waves obtained by the time domain sampler (TDS) of the WAVES experiment on the STEREO spacecraft in the vicinity of typical quasi-perpendicular super-critical interplanetary shocks. We show that often Langmuir waves occur as coherent one dimensional magnetic field aligned wave packets in the upstream regions and persist over large distances. The characteristics of these wave packets are consistent with those of Langmuir solitons formed as a result of oscillatting two stream instability (OTSI). Very intense high frequency waves which are completely different from Langmuir waves occur in the transition regions. These waves occur as very incoherent emissions and exhibit broad fundamental and second harmonic spectral peaks. We identify these waves as electron acoustic waves excited by the electron beams in the transition regions. We also show that very intense low frequency ion sound waves occur in the downstream regions. We discuss the implications of these observations on the theories of (1) strong Langmuir turbulence, (2) beam stabilization, (3) emission mechanisms of solar type II radio bursts, (4) wave-particle interactions responsible for collisionless dissipation, and (5) heating of the downstream plasmas.

Low Frequency Radio Experiment (LORE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manoharan, P. K.; Naidu, Arun; Joshi, B. C.; Roy, Jayashree; Kate, G.; Pethe, Kaiwalya; Galande, Shridhar; Jamadar, Sachin; Mahajan, S. P.; Patil, R. A.

2016-03-01

In this paper, we present a case study of Low Frequency Radio Experiment (LORE) payload to probe the corona and the solar disturbances at solar offsets greater than 2 solar radii, i.e., at frequencies below 30 MHz. The LORE can be complimentary to the planned Indian solar mission, “Aditya-L1” and its other payloads as well as synergistic to ground-based interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations, which are routinely carried out by the Ooty Radio Telescope. We discuss the baseline design and technical details of the proposed LORE and its particular suitability for providing measurements on the detailed time and frequency structure of fast drifting type-III and slow drifting type-II radio bursts with unprecedented time and frequency resolutions. We also brief the gonio-polarimetry, which is possible with better-designed antennas and state-of-the-art electronics, employing FPGAs and an intelligent data management system. These would enable us to make a wide range of studies, such as nonlinear plasma processes in the Sun-Earth distance, in-situ radio emission from coronal mass ejections (CMEs), interplanetary CME driven shocks, nature of ICMEs driving decelerating IP shocks and space weather effects of solar wind interaction regions.

Presentation of the project "An investigation of the early stages of solar eruptions - from remote observations to energetic particles"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozarev, Kamen; Veronig, Astrid; Duchlev, Peter; Koleva, Kostadinka; Dechev, Momchil; Miteva, Rositsa; Temmer, Manuela; Dissauer, Karin

2017-11-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs), one of the most energetic manifestations of solar activity, are complex events, which combine multiple related phenomena occurring on the solar surface, in the extended solar atmosphere (corona), as well as in interplanetary space. We present here an outline of a new collaborative project between scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), Bulgaria and the University of Graz, Austria. The goal of the this research project is to answer the following questions: 1) What are the properties of erupting filaments, CMEs, and CME-driven shock waves near the Sun, and of associated solar energetic particle (SEP) fluxes in interplanetary space? 2) How are these properties related to the coronal acceleration of SEPs? To achieve the scientific goals of this project, we will use remote solar observations with high spatial and temporal resolution to characterize the early stages of coronal eruption events in a systematic way - studying the pre-eruptive behavior of filaments and flares during energy build-up, the kinematics and morphology of CMEs and compressive shock waves, and the signatures of high energy non-thermal particles in both remote and in situ observations.

Galactic Cosmic Ray Intensity Response to Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections/Magnetic Clouds in 1995-2009

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richardson, I. G.; Cane, H. V.

2011-01-01

We summarize the response of the galactic cosmic ray (CGR) intensity to the passage of the more than 300 interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and their associated shocks that passed the Earth during 1995-2009, a period that encompasses the whole of Solar Cycle 23. In approx.80% of cases, the GCR intensity decreased during the passage of these structures, i.e., a "Forbush decrease" occurred, while in approx.10% there was no significant change. In the remaining cases, the GCR intensity increased. Where there was an intensity decrease, minimum intensity was observed inside the ICME in approx.90% of these events. The observations confirm the role of both post-shock regions and ICMEs in the generation of these decreases, consistent with many previous studies, but contrary to the conclusion of Reames, Kahler, and Tylka (Astrophys. 1. Lett. 700, L199, 2009) who, from examining a subset of ICMEs with flux-rope-like magnetic fields (magnetic clouds) argued that these are "open structures" that allow free access of particles including GCRs to their interior. In fact, we find that magnetic clouds are more likely to participate in the deepest GCR decreases than ICMEs that are not magnetic clouds.

Influences of the Driver and Ambient Medium Characteristics on the Formation of Shocks in the Solar Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nat, Gopalswamy; Hong, Xie; Seiji, Yashiro; Pertti, Makela; Sachiko, Akiyama

2010-01-01

Traveling interplanetary (IP) shocks were discovered in the early 1960s, but their solar origin has been controversial. Early research focused on solar flares as the source of the shocks, but when coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were discovered, it became clear that fast CMEs clearly can drive the shocks. Type II radio bursts are excellent signatures of shocks near the Sun. The close correspondence between type II radio bursts and solar energetic particles (SEPs) makes it clear that the same shock accelerates ions and electrons. A recent investigation involving a large number of IP shocks revealed that about 35% of IP shocks do not produce type II bursts or SEPs. Comparing these radio quiet (RQ) shocks with the radio loud (RL) ones revealed some interesting results: (1) there is no evidence for blast waves, in that all IP shocks can be attributed to CMEs, (2) a small fraction (20%) of RQ shocks is associated with ion enhancements at the shocks when they move past the observing spacecraft, (3) the primary difference between the RQ and RL shocks can be traced to the different kinematic properties of the associated CMEs and the variation of the characteristic speeds of the ambient medium, and (4) the shock properties measured at 1 AU are not too different for the RQ and RL cases due to the interaction of the shock driver with the IP medium that seems to erase the difference.

Quantitative understanding of Forbush decrease drivers based on shock-only and CME-only models using global signature of February 14, 1978 event

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Raghav, Anil; Lotekar, Ajay; Bhaskar, Ankush

We have studied the Forbush decrease (FD) event that occurred on February 14, 1978 using 43 neutron monitor observatories to understand the global signature of FD. We have studied rigidity dependence of shock amplitude and total FD amplitude. We have found almost the same power law index for both shock phase amplitude and total FD amplitude. Local time variation of shock phase amplitude and maximum depression time of FD have been investigated which indicate possible effect of shock/CME orientation. We have analyzed rigidity dependence of time constants of two phase recovery. Time constants of slow component of recovery phase showmore » rigidity dependence and imply possible effect of diffusion. Solar wind speed was observed to be well correlated with slow component of FD recovery phase. This indicates solar wind speed as possible driver of recovery phase. To investigate the contribution of interplanetary drivers, shock and CME in FD, we have used shock-only and CME-only models. We have applied these models separately to shock phase and main phase amplitudes respectively. This confirms presently accepted physical scenario that the first step of FD is due to propagating shock barrier and second step is due to flux rope of CME/magnetic cloud.« less

Coronal Mass Ejections: a Summary of Recent Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswamy, Nat; Davila, J. M.

2010-01-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have been recognized as the most energetic phenomenon in the heliosphere, deriving their energy from the stressed magnetic fields on the Sun. This paper highlights some of the recent results on CMEs obtained from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) missions. The summary of the talk follows. SOHO observations revealed that the CME rate is almost a factor of two larger than previously thought and varied with the solar activity cycle in a complex way (e.g., high-latitude CMEs occurred in great abundance during the solar maximum years). CMEs were found to interact with other CMEs as well as with other large-scale structures (coronal holes), resulting in deflections and additional particle acceleration. STEREO observations have confirmed the three-dimensional nature of CMEs and the shocks surrounding them. The EUV signatures (flare arcades, corona) dimming, filament eruption, and EUV waves) associated with CMEs have become vital in the identification of solar sources from which CMEs erupt. CMEs with speeds exceeding the characteristic speeds of the corona and the interplanetary medium drive shocks, which produce type II radio bursts. The wavelength range of type II bursts depends on the CME kinetic energy: type II bursts with emission components at all wavelengths (metric to kilometric) are due to CMEs of the highest kinetic energy. Some CMEs, as fast as 1600 km/s do not produce type II bursts, while slow CMEs (400 km/s) occasionally produce type II bursts. These observations can be explained as the variation in the ambient flow speed (solar wind) and the Alfven speed. Not all CME-driven shocks produce type II bursts because either they are subcritical or do not have the appropriate geometry. The same shocks that produce type II bursts also produce solar energetic particles (SEPs), whose release near the Sun seems to be delayed with respect to the onset of type II bursts. This may indicate a subtle difference in the acceleration of the ions and 10 keV electrons needed to produce type II bursts. Surprisingly, some shocks lacking type II bursts are associated with energetic storm particle events (ESPs) pointing to the importance of electron escape from the shock for producing the radio emission. CMEs slow down or accelerate in the interplanetary medium because of the drag force, which modifies the transit time of CMEs and shocks. Halo CMEs that appear to surround the occulting disk were known before the SOHO era as occasional events. During the SOHO era, they became very prominent because of their ability to impact Earth and producing geomagnetic storms. Halo CMEs are generally more energetic than ordinary CMEs, which means they can produce severe impact on Earth's magnetosphere. Their origin close to the disk center of the Sun ensures direct impact on the magnetosphere, although their internal magnetic structure is crucial in causing storms. The solar sources of CMEs that produce SEP events at Earth, on the other hand, are generally in the western hemisphere because of the magnetic connectivity. Thus, CMEs are very interesting from the point of view of plasma physics as well as practical implications because of their space weather impact.

Hybrid simulation of the shock wave trailing the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Israelevich, P.; Ofman, L.

2012-04-01

Standing shock wave behind the Moon was predicted be Michel (1967) but never observed nor simulated. We use 1D hybrid code in order to simulate the collapse of the plasma-free cavity behind the Moon and for the first time to model the formation of this shock. Starting immediately downstream of the obstacle we consider the evolution of plasma expansion into the cavity in the frame of reference moving along with the solar wind. Well-known effects as electric charging of the cavity affecting the plasma flow and counter streaming ion beams in the wake are reproduced. Near the apex of the inner Mach cone where the plasma flows from the opposite sides of the obstacle meet, a shock wave arises. The shock is produced by the interaction of oppositely directed proton beams in the plane containing solar wind velocity and interplanetary magnetic field vectors. In the direction across the magnetic field and the solar wind velocity, the shock results from the interaction of the plasma flow with the region of the enhanced magnetic field inside the cavity that plays the role of magnetic barrier. The appearance of the standing shock wave is expected at the distance of ~ 7RM downstream of the Moon.

Characteristics of coronal shock waves and solar type 2 radio bursts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mann, G.; Classen, H.-T.

1995-01-01

In the solar corona shock waves generated by flares and/or coronal mass ejections can be observed by radio astronomical methods in terms of solar type 2 radio bursts. In dynamic radio spectra they appear as emission stripes slowly drifting from high to low frequencies. A sample of 25 solar type 2 radio bursts observed in the range of 40 - 170 MHz with a time resolution of 0.1 s by the new radiospectrograph of the Astrophvsikalisches Institut Potsdam in Tremsdorf is statistically investigated concerning their spectral features, i.e, drift rate, instantaneous bandwidth, and fundamental harmonic ratio. In-situ plasma wave measurements at interplanetary shocks provide the assumption that type 2 radio radiation is emitted in the vicinity of the transition region of shock waves. Thus, the instantaneous bandwidth of a solar type 2 radio burst would reflect the density jump across the associated shock wave. Comparing the inspection of the Rankine-Hugoniot relations of shock waves under coronal circumstances with those obtained from the observational study, solar type 2 radio bursts should be regarded to be generated by weak supercritical, quasi-parallel, fast magnetosonic shock waves in the corona.

Comparison of picked-up protons and water group ions upstream of Comet Halley's bow shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neugebauer, M.; Coates, A. J.; Neubauer, F. M.

1990-01-01

The similarities and differences between the picked-up cometary protons and water-group (WG) ions upstream of the bow shock of Comet Halley are examined using measurements obtained by the ion mass spectrometer and plasma analyzer experiments on board Giotto. It was found that the dependencies of the pitch angle and the energy diffusion rates of the cometary protons and WG ions on the ion densities and on the angle alpha between the interplanetary field and the solar wind velocity vector were very different. This finding could not be explained in terms of presently available theories and models.

Direct observations of a flare related coronal and solar wind disturbance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gosling, J. T.; Hildner, E.; Macqueen, R. M.; Munro, R. H.; Poland, A. I.; Ross, C. L.

1975-01-01

Numerous mass ejections from the sun have been detected with orbiting coronagraphs. Here for the first time we document and discuss the direct association of a coronagraph observed mass ejection, which followed a 2B flare, with a large interplanetary shock wave disturbance observed at 1 AU. Estimates of the mass and energy content of the coronal disturbance are in reasonably good agreement with estimates of the mass and energy content of the solar wind disturbance at 1 AU. The energy estimates as well as the transit time of the disturbance are also in good agreement with numerical models of shock wave propagation in the solar wind.

Impact of Shock Front Rippling and Self-reformation on the Electron Dynamics at Low-Mach-number Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhongwei; Lu, Quanming; Liu, Ying D.; Wang, Rui

2018-04-01

Electron dynamics at low-Mach-number collisionless shocks are investigated by using two-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations with various shock normal angles. We found: (1) The reflected ions and incident electrons at the shock front provide an effective mechanism for the quasi-electrostatic wave generation due to the charge-separation. A fraction of incident electrons can be effectively trapped and accelerated at the leading edge of the shock foot. (2) At quasi-perpendicular shocks, the electron trapping and reflection is nonuniform due to the shock rippling along the shock surface and is more likely to take place at some locations accompanied by intense reflected ion-beams. The electron trapping process has a periodical evolution over time due to the shock front self-reformation, which is controlled by ion dynamics. Thus, this is a cross-scale coupling phenomenon. (3) At quasi-parallel shocks, reflected ions can travel far back upstream. Consequently, quasi-electrostatic waves can be excited in the shock transition and the foreshock region. The electron trajectory analysis shows these waves can trap electrons at the foot region and reflect a fraction of them far back upstream. Simulation runs in this paper indicate that the micro-turbulence at the shock foot can provide a possible scenario for producing the reflected electron beam, which is a basic condition for the type II radio burst emission at low-Mach-number interplanetary shocks driven by Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).

Comparison of the WSA-ENLIL model with three CME cone types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Soojeong; Moon, Y.; Na, H.

2013-07-01

We have made a comparison of the CME-associated shock propagation based on the WSA-ENLIL model with three cone types using 29 halo CMEs from 2001 to 2002. These halo CMEs have cone model parameters as well as their associated interplanetary (IP) shocks. For this study we consider three different cone types (an asymmetric cone model, an ice-cream cone model and an elliptical cone model) to determine 3-D CME parameters (radial velocity, angular width and source location), which are the input values of the WSA-ENLIL model. The mean absolute error (MAE) of the arrival times for the asymmetric cone model is 10.6 hours, which is about 1 hour smaller than those of the other models. Their ensemble average of MAE is 9.5 hours. However, this value is still larger than that (8.7 hours) of the empirical model of Kim et al. (2007). We will compare their IP shock velocities and densities with those from ACE in-situ measurements and discuss them in terms of the prediction of geomagnetic storms.Abstract (2,250 Maximum Characters): We have made a comparison of the CME-associated shock propagation based on the WSA-ENLIL model with three cone types using 29 halo CMEs from 2001 to 2002. These halo CMEs have cone model parameters as well as their associated interplanetary (IP) shocks. For this study we consider three different cone types (an asymmetric cone model, an ice-cream cone model and an elliptical cone model) to determine 3-D CME parameters (radial velocity, angular width and source location), which are the input values of the WSA-ENLIL model. The mean absolute error (MAE) of the arrival times for the asymmetric cone model is 10.6 hours, which is about 1 hour smaller than those of the other models. Their ensemble average of MAE is 9.5 hours. However, this value is still larger than that (8.7 hours) of the empirical model of Kim et al. (2007). We will compare their IP shock velocities and densities with those from ACE in-situ measurements and discuss them in terms of the prediction of geomagnetic storms.

Solar Eruptions, CMEs and Space Weather

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswamy, Nat

2011-01-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large-scale magnetized plasma structures ejected from the Sun and propagate far into the interplanetary medium. CMEs represent energy output from the Sun in the form of magnetized plasma and electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation suddenly increases the ionization content of the ionosphere, thus impacting communication and navigation systems. The plasma clouds can drive shocks that accelerate charged particles to very high energies in the interplanetary space, which pose radiation hazard to astronauts and space systems. The plasma clouds also arrive at Earth in about two days and impact Earth's magnetosphere, producing geomagnetic storms. The magnetic storms result in a number of effects including induced currents that can disrupt power grids, railroads, and underground pipelines. This lecture presents an overview of the origin, propagation, and geospace consequences of solar storms.

Catalog of particles and fields data 19581965

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, M. L. (Editor)

1975-01-01

Available particles and fields data, covering the period 1966 to 1973 inclusive, are announced. Most data result from individual experiments carried on board individual spacecraft. A variety of user-oriented data are included. A newly created composite interplanetary magnetic field data set is discussed and other data products, that may interest the particles/fields community are mentioned, including geomagnetism, magnetopause and bow shock positions, and magnetospherically trapped particles.

The Bactericidal Effect of Shock Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leighs, James; Appleby-Thomas, Gareth; Wood, David; Goff, Michael; Hameed, Amer; Hazell, Paul

2013-06-01

There are a variety of theories relating to the origins of life on our home planet, some of which discuss the possibility that life may have been spread via inter-planetary impacts. There have been a number of investigations into the ability of life to withstand the likely conditions generated by asteroid impact (both contained in the impactor and buried beneath the planet surface). Previously published data regarding the ability of bacteria to survive such applied shock waves has produced conflicting conclusions. The work presented here used an established technique, in combination with a single stage gas gun to shock load and subsequently recover Escherichia coli populations suspended in a phosphate buffered saline solution. Peak pressure across the sample region was calculated via numerical modelling, validated via Heterodyne velocimetry measurements. Survival data against peak sample pressure for recovered samples is presented alongside control tests.

Direct Measurements of Interplanetary Dust Particles in the Vicinity of Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCracken, C. W.; Alexander, W. M.; Dubin, M.

1961-01-01

The direct measurements made by the Explorer VIII satellite provide the first sound basis for analyzing all available direct measurements of the distribution of interplanetary dust particles. The model average distribution curve established by such an analysis departs significantly from that predicted by the (uncertain) extrapolation of results from meteor observations. A consequence of this difference is that the daily accretion of interplanetary particulate matter by the earth is now considered to be mainly dust particles of the direct measurements range of particle size. Almost all the available direct measurements obtained with microphone systems on rockets, satellites, and spacecraft fit directly on the distribution curve defined by Explorer VIII data. The lack of reliable datum points departing significantly from the model average distribution curve means that available direct measurements show no discernible evidence of an appreciable geocentric concentration of interplanetary dust particles.

On the role of the quasi-parallel bow shock in ion pickup - A lesson from Venus?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luhmann, J. G.; Russell, C. T.; Phillips, J. L.; Barnes, A.

1987-01-01

Previous observations at Venus show convincing evidence of planetary O(+) ion pickup by the largescale motional -V x B electric field in the magnetosheath when the interplanetary magnetic field is perpendicular to the solar wind flow. However, the presence of magnetic field fluctuations in the magnetosheath downstream from the quasi-parallel bow shock should allow pickup to occur even when the upstream magnetic field B and plasma velocity V are practically coaligned. Single-particle calculations are used to demonstrate the convecting magnetic field fluctuations similar to those observed in the Venus magnetosheath when the subsolar bow shock is quasi-parallel can efficiently accelerate cold planetary ions by means of the electric field associated with their transverse components. This ion pickup process, which is characterized by a spatial dependence determined by the bow shock shape and the orientation of the upstream magnetic field, is likely also to occur at Mars and may be effective at comets.

Coronal Shock Waves and Solar Energetic Particle Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cliver, Edward

Recent evidence supports the view first expressed by Wild, Smerd, and Weiss in 1963 that large solar energetic particle (SEP) events are a consequence of shock waves manifested by radio type II bursts. Following Tylka et al. (ApJ 625, 474, 2005), our picture of SEP acceleration at shocks now includes the effects of variable seed particle population and shock geometry. By taking these factors into account, Tylka and Lee (ApJ 646, 1319, 2006; see also Sandroos Vainio, ApJ 662, L127, 2007; AA 507, L21, 2009) were able to account for the charge-to-mass variability in high-Z ions first reported by Breneman and Stone in 1985. Recent studies of electron-to-proton ratios, both in interplanetary space (Cliver Ling, ApJ 658, 1349, 2007; Dietrich et al., in preparation, 2010) and in gamma-ray-line events (Shih et al., ApJ 698, L152, 2009), also support the view that large SEP events originate in coronal shocks and not in solar flares. Concurrent with the above developments, there is growing evidence that coronal shocks are driven by coronal mass ejections rather than by flare pressure pulses.

The interaction of turbulence with parallel and perpendicular shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adhikari, L.; Zank, G. P.; Hunana, P.; Hu, Q.

2016-11-01

Interplanetary shocks exist in most astrophysical flows, and modify the properties of the background flow. We apply the Zank et al 2012 six coupled turbulence transport model equations to study the interaction of turbulence with parallel and perpendicular shock waves in the solar wind. We model the 1D structure of a stationary perpendicular or parallel shock wave using a hyperbolic tangent function and the Rankine-Hugoniot conditions. A reduced turbulence transport model (the 4-equation model) is applied to parallel and perpendicular shock waves, and solved using a 4th- order Runge Kutta method. We compare the model results with ACE spacecraft observations. We identify one quasi-parallel and one quasi-perpendicular event in the ACE spacecraft data sets, and compute various turbulent observed values such as the fluctuating magnetic and kinetic energy, the energy in forward and backward propagating modes, the total turbulent energy in the upstream and downstream of the shock. We also calculate the error associated with each turbulent observed value, and fit the observed values by a least square method and use a Fourier series fitting function. We find that the theoretical results are in reasonable agreement with observations. The energy in turbulent fluctuations is enhanced and the correlation length is approximately constant at the shock. Similarly, the normalized cross helicity increases across a perpendicular shock, and decreases across a parallel shock.

The Effects of Solar Wind Dynamic Pressure Changes on the Substorm Auroras and Energetic Electron Injections on 24 August 2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, L. Y.; Wang, Z. Q.

2018-01-01

After the passage of an interplanetary (IP) shock at 06:13 UT on 24 August 2005, the enhancement (>6 nPa) of solar wind dynamic pressure and the southward turning of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) cause the earthward movement of dayside magnetopause and the drift loss of energetic particles near geosynchronous orbit. The persistent electron drift loss makes the geosynchronous satellites cannot observe the substorm electron injection phenomenon during the two substorm expansion phases (06:57-07:39 UT) on that day. Behind the IP shock, the fluctuations ( 0.5-3 nPa) of solar wind dynamic pressure not only alter the dayside auroral brightness but also cause the entire auroral oval to swing in the day-night direction. However, there is no Pi2 pulsation in the nightside auroral oval during the substorm growth phase from 06:13 to 06:57 UT. During the subsequent two substorm expansion phases, the substorm expansion activities cause the nightside aurora oval brightening from substorm onset site to higher latitudes, and meanwhile, the enhancement (decline) of solar wind dynamic pressure makes the nightside auroral oval move toward the magnetic equator (the magnetic pole). These observations demonstrate that solar wind dynamic pressure changes and substorm expansion activities can jointly control the luminosity and location of the nightside auroral oval when the internal and external disturbances occur simultaneously. During the impact of a strong IP shock, the earthward movement of dayside magnetopause probably causes the disappearance of the substorm electron injections near geosynchronous orbit.

A survey of solar wind conditions at 5 AU: A tool for interpreting solar wind-magnetosphere interactions at Jupiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebert, Robert; Bagenal, Fran; McComas, David; Fowler, Christopher

2014-09-01

We examine Ulysses solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) observations at 5 AU for two ~13 month intervals during the rising and declining phases of solar cycle 23 and the predicted response of the Jovian magnetosphere during these times. The declining phase solar wind, composed primarily of corotating interaction regions and high-speed streams, was, on average, faster, hotter, less dense, and more Alfvénic relative to the rising phase solar wind, composed mainly of slow wind and interplanetary coronal mass ejections. Interestingly, none of solar wind and IMF distributions reported here were bimodal, a feature used to explain the bimodal distribution of bow shock and magnetopause standoff distances observed at Jupiter. Instead, many of these distributions had extended, non-Gaussian tails that resulted in large standard deviations and much larger mean over median values. The distribution of predicted Jupiter bow shock and magnetopause standoff distances during these intervals were also not bimodal, the mean/median values being larger during the declining phase by ~1 - 4%. These results provide data-derived solar wind and IMF boundary conditions at 5 AU for models aimed at studying solar wind-magnetosphere interactions at Jupiter and can support the science investigations of upcoming Jupiter system missions. Here, we provide expectations for Juno, which is scheduled to arrive at Jupiter in July 2016. Accounting for the long-term decline in solar wind dynamic pressure reported by McComas et al. (2013), Jupiter’s bow shock and magnetopause is expected to be at least 8 - 12% further from Jupiter, if these trends continue.

Interplanetary particles and fields, November 22 to December 6, 1977 - Helios, Voyager and Imp observations between 0.6 and 1.6 AU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burlaga, L.; Lepping, R.; Weber, R.; Armstrong, T.; Goodrich, C.; Sullivan, J.; Gurnett, D.; Kellogg, P.; Keppler, E.; Mariani, F.

1980-01-01

The paper presents a wealth of data obtained at approximately 0.6, 1, and 1.6 AU by Helios 1 and 2, Voyager 1 and 2, and Imp 7 and 8, describing the evolution and interactions of particles, flows, and fields in the period 22 November to 6 December 1977. Three flow systems were observed in the period under consideration: (1) a corotating stream and a stream interface associated with a coronal hole; (2) a shock wave and an energetic particle event associated with a 2B flare; and (3) an isolated shock wave of uncertain origin. These phenomena are discussed in some detail.

Particle acceleration in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramaty, R.; Forman, M. A.

1987-01-01

The most direct signatures of particle acceleration in flares are energetic particles detected in interplanetary space and in the Earth atmosphere, and gamma rays, neutrons, hard X-rays, and radio emissions produced by the energetic particles in the solar atmosphere. The stochastic and shock acceleration theories in flares are reviewed and the implications of observations on particle energy spectra, particle confinement and escape, multiple acceleration phases, particle anistropies, and solar atmospheric abundances are discussed.

Particle Energization throughout the Heliosphere: Opportunities with IMAP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zank, Gary

2016-04-01

Understanding the radiation environment at the Earth and beyond is one of the critical elements in our developing Space Weather capabilities and strategy. Furthermore, the energization of charged particles in a collisionless plasma remains one of the compelling unsolved yet universal problems in space physics and astrophysics. The proposed instrumentation of IMAP enables two critical goals: 1) real-time monitoring of the radiation and plasma environment as part of a Space Weather capability, and 2) making coordinated simultaneous measurements of all the basic plasma parameters needed to develop a comprehensive and detailed understanding of fundamental particle energization processes. Since the session addresses the "Physics of particle acceleration", we will survey briefly the critical open problems associated with particle acceleration during quiet and active solar wind periods. At least three elements will be discussed. 1) Dissipative processes in the quiet solar wind and at shock waves. For the former, we discuss emerging ideas about the dissipation of turbulence via structures such as flux ropes and their role in possibly energizing charged particles during quiet times, especially in the vicinity of the heliospheric current sheet. In the latter, reflected ions play an essential role in dissipative processes at both quasi-perpendicular and quasi-parallel shocks. This in turn has consequences for the energization of particles, the generation of turbulence upstream and downstream of the shock, and the importance of a pre-existing suprathermal ion population. 2) What is the role of pre-existing energetic particles versus injection from a background thermal population of charged particles in the context of diffusive shock acceleration? Does the pre-existing suprathermal particle population play a fundamental role in the dissipation processes governing heliospheric shock, as suggested by the case of the heliospheric termination shock and pickup ions? 3) What is the primary acceleration mechanism for electrons in the solar wind during both quiet and active solar wind periods? Apparently stable energetic electron power law distributions are observed for quiet periods. Does the observed kappa distribution function for electrons and the electron heat flux play an important role in generating energetic particle distributions during quiet times? The observed characteristics of energetic electrons in the vicinity of interplanetary shocks are frequently quite different from those predicted from classical diffusive shock acceleration. Is another mechanism at work? IMAPs ability to simultaneously measure energetic particles from energies as low as ~2 keV, pickup ions, the interplanetary magnetic field, and thermal plasma distributions will provide important constraints on theory and modeling of particle energization throughout the heliosphere.

Coronal mass ejections and coronal structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hildner, E.; Bassi, J.; Bougeret, J. L.; Duncan, R. A.; Gary, D. E.; Gergely, T. E.; Harrison, R. A.; Howard, R. A.; Illing, R. M. E.; Jackson, B. V.

1986-01-01

Research on coronal mass ejections (CMF) took a variety of forms, both observational and theoretical. On the observational side there were: case studies of individual events, in which it was attempted to provide the most complete descriptions possible, using correlative observations in diverse wavelengths; statistical studies of the properties CMEs and their associated activity; observations which may tell us about the initiation of mass ejections; interplanetary observations of associated shocks and energetic particles even observations of CMEs traversing interplanetary space; and the beautiful synoptic charts which show to what degree mass ejections affect the background corona and how rapidly (if at all) the corona recovers its pre-disturbance form. These efforts are described in capsule form with an emphasis on presenting pictures, graphs, and tables so that the reader can form a personal appreciation of the work and its results.

The Strongest 40 keV Electron Acceleration By ICME-driven Shocks At 1 AU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, L.; Wang, L.; Li, G.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.; He, J.; Tu, C. Y.; Bale, S. D.

2017-12-01

Here we present a comprehensive case study of the in situ electron acceleration at the two ICME-driven shocks observed by WIND/3DP on February 11, 2000 and July 22, 2004. For the 11 February 2000 shock (the 22 July 2004 shock), the shocked electrons in the downstream show significant flux enhancements over the ambient solar wind electrons at energies up to 40 keV (66 keV) with a 6.0 times (1.9 times) ehancment at 40 keV, the strongest among all the quasi-perpendicular (quasi-parallel) ICME-driven shocks observed by the WIND spacecraft at 1 AU from 1995 through 2014. We find that in both shocks, the shocked electron fluxes at 0.5-40 keV fit well to a double power-law spectrum, J ˜ E-β, bending up at ˜2 keV. In the downstream, these shocked electrons show stronger fluxes in the anti-sunward direction, but their enhancement over the ambient fluxes peaks near 90° pitch angle (PA). For the 11 February 2000 shock, the electron spectral index, β, appears to not vary with the electron PA, while for the 22 July 2004 shock, β roughly decreases from the anti-sunward PA direction to the sunward PA direction. All of these spectral indexes are strongly larger than the theoretical prediction of diffusive shock acceleration. At energies above (below) 2 keV, however, the shocked electron β is similar to the solar wind superhalo (halo) electrons observed at quiet times. These results suggest that the electron acceleration at the ICME-driven shocks at 1 AU may favor the shock drift acceleration, and the superthermal electrons accelerated by the interplanetary shocks may contribute to the formation of the halo and superhalo electron populations in the solar wind.

Evaluation of a cost-effective loads approach. [for Viking Orbiter light weight structural design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garba, J. A.; Wada, B. K.; Bamford, R.; Trubert, M. R.

1976-01-01

A shock spectra/impedance method for loads prediction is used to estimate member loads for the Viking Orbiter, a 7800-lb interplanetary spacecraft that has been designed using transient loads analysis techniques. The transient loads analysis approach leads to a lightweight structure but requires complex and costly analyses. To reduce complexity and cost a shock spectra/impedance method is currently being used to design the Mariner Jupiter Saturn spacecraft. This method has the advantage of using low-cost in-house loads analysis techniques and typically results in more conservative structural loads. The method is evaluated by comparing the increase in Viking member loads to the loads obtained by the transient loads analysis approach. An estimate of the weight penalty incurred by using this method is presented. The paper also compares the calculated flight loads from the transient loads analyses and the shock spectra/impedance method to measured flight data.

The bactericidal effect of shock waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leighs, J. A.; Appleby-Thomas, G. J.; Wood, D. C.; Goff, M. J.; Hameed, A.; Hazell, P. J.

2014-05-01

There are a variety of theories relating to the origins of life on our home planet, some of which discuss the possibility that life may have been spread via inter-planetary bodies. There have been a number of investigations into the ability of life to withstand the likely conditions generated by asteroid impact (both contained in the impactor and buried beneath the planet surface). Previously published data regarding the ability of bacteria to survive such applied shockwaves has produced conflicting conclusions. The work presented here used an established and published technique in combination with a single stage gas gun, to shock and subsequently recover Escherichia coli populations suspended in a phosphate buffered saline solution. Peak pressure across the sample region was calculated via numerical modelling. Survival data against peak sample pressure for recovered samples is presented alongside control tests. SEM micrographs of shocked samples are presented alongside control sets to highlight key differences between cells in each case.

Magnetic Field Observations near Venus: Preliminary Results from Mariner 10.

PubMed

Ness, N F; Behannon, K W; Lepping, R P; Whang, Y C; Schatten, K H

1974-03-29

The NASA-GSFC magnetic field experiment on Mariner 10 is the first flight of a dual magnetometer system conceived to permit accurate measurements of weak magnetic fields in space in the presence of a significant and variable spacecraft magnetic field. Results from a preliminary analysis of a limted data set are summarized in this report, which is restricted primarily to Venus encounter. A detached bow shock wave that develops as the super Alfvénic solar wind interacts with the Venusian atmosphere has been observed. However, the unique coincidence of trajectory position and interplanetary field orientation at the time of bow shock crossing led to a very disturbed shock profile with considerably enhanced upstream magnetic fluctuations. At present it is not possible to ascertain the nature and characteristics of the obstacle responsible for deflecting the solar wind flow. Far downstream disturbances associated with the solar wind wake have been observed.

Beams of protons and alpha particles greater than approximately 30 keV/charge from the earth's bow shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholer, M.; Ipavich, F. M.; Gloeckler, G.

1981-01-01

Two beamlike particle events (30 keV/charge to 160 keV/charge) upstream of the earth's bow shock have been investigated with the Max-Planck-Institut/University of Maryland ultralow energy and charge analyzer on ISEE 1. These beams consist of protons as well as of alpha particles, and the spectra are generally steep and are decreasing with increasing energy. During one event the spectra of both protons and alpha particles have a maximum at approximately 65 keV/charge. During these events, the interplanetary magnetic field through the satellite position was almost tangent to the bow shock, and application of the theory of acceleration predicts acceleration of a solar wind particle up to 60 keV/nucleon in a single reflection. The observation of reflected protons as well as alpha particles has implications for the physical reflection process usually not discussed in acceleration theories.

Type II Radio Bursts as Indicators of Space Weather Drivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopalswamy, N.

2015-12-01

Interplanetary type II radio bursts are important indicators of shock-driving coronal mass ejections (CMEs). CME-driven shocks are responsible for large solar energetic particle (SEP) events and sudden commencement/sudden impulse events recorded by ground magnetometers. The excellent overlap of the spatial domains probed by SOHO/STEREO coronagraphs with the spectral domains of Wind/WAVES and STEREO/WAVES has contributed enormously in understanding CMEs and shocks as space weather drivers. This paper is concerned with type II bursts of solar cycle 23 and 24 that had emission components down to kilometric wavelengths. CMEs associated with these bursts seem to be the best indicators of large SEP events, better than the halo CMEs. However, there are some differences between the type II bursts of the two cycles, which are explained based on the different states of the heliosphere in the two cycles. Finally, the type II burst characteristics of some recent extreme events are discussed.

SIMULATION OF ENERGETIC PARTICLE TRANSPORT AND ACCELERATION AT SHOCK WAVES IN A FOCUSED TRANSPORT MODEL: IMPLICATIONS FOR MIXED SOLAR PARTICLE EVENTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kartavykh, Y. Y.; Dröge, W.; Gedalin, M.

2016-03-20

We use numerical solutions of the focused transport equation obtained by an implicit stochastic differential equation scheme to study the evolution of the pitch-angle dependent distribution function of protons in the vicinity of shock waves. For a planar stationary parallel shock, the effects of anisotropic distribution functions, pitch-angle dependent spatial diffusion, and first-order Fermi acceleration at the shock are examined, including the timescales on which the energy spectrum approaches the predictions of diffusive shock acceleration theory. We then consider the case that a flare-accelerated population of ions is released close to the Sun simultaneously with a traveling interplanetary shock formore » which we assume a simplified geometry. We investigate the consequences of adiabatic focusing in the diverging magnetic field on the particle transport at the shock, and of the competing effects of acceleration at the shock and adiabatic energy losses in the expanding solar wind. We analyze the resulting intensities, anisotropies, and energy spectra as a function of time and find that our simulations can naturally reproduce the morphologies of so-called mixed particle events in which sometimes the prompt and sometimes the shock component is more prominent, by assuming parameter values which are typically observed for scattering mean free paths of ions in the inner heliosphere and energy spectra of the flare particles which are injected simultaneously with the release of the shock.« less

The geocentric particulate distribution: Cometary, asteroidal, or space debris?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcdonnell, J. A. M.; Ratcliff, P. R.

1992-01-01

Definition of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) particulate environment has been refined considerably with the analysis of data from NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). Measurements of the impact rates from particulates ranging from sub-micron to millimetres in dimension and, especially, information on their directionality has permitted new scrunity of the sources of the particulates. Modelling of the dynamics of both bound (Earth orbital) and unbound (hyperbolic interplanetary) particulates intercepting LDEF's faces leads to the conclusion that the source is dominantly interplanetary for particle dimensions of greater than some 5 microns diameter; however the anisotropy below this dimension demands lower velocities and is compatible with an orbital component. Characteristics of the LDEF interplanetary component are compatible with familiar meteoroid sources and deep space measurements. Understanding of the orbital component which exceeds the interplanetary flux by a factor of 4 is less clear; although the very small particulates in orbit have been associated with space debris (Lawrance and Brownlee, 1986) this data conflicts with other measurements (McDonnell, Carey and Dixon, 1984) at the same epoch. By analysis of trajectories approaching the Earth and its atmosphere, we have shown that a significant contribution could be captured by aerocapture, i.e., atmospheric drag, from either asteroidal or cometary sources; such enhancement is unlikely however to provide the temporal and spatial fluctuations observed by the LDEF Interplanetary Dust Experiment (Mullholland et al. 1992). A further new mechanism is also examined, that of aerofragmentation capture, where an atmospheric grazing trajectory, which would not normally lead to capture, leads to fragmentation by thermal or mechanical shock; the microparticulates thus created can be injected in large numbers, but only into short-lifetime orbits. The concentration in one particular orbit plane, could explain the temporal fluctuations seen on LDEF; space debris could also explain the phenomenon.

Hybrid Simulation of the Shock Wave Trailing the Moon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Israelevich, P.; Ofman, Leon

2012-01-01

A standing shock wave behind the Moon was predicted by Michel (1967) but never observed nor simulated. We use 1D hybrid code in order to simulate the collapse of the plasma-free cavity behind the Moon and for the first time to model the formation of this shock. Starting immediately downstream of the obstacle we consider the evolution of plasma expansion into the cavity in the frame of reference moving along with the solar wind. Well-known effects as electric charging of the cavity affecting the plasma flow and counterstreaming ion beams in the wake are reproduced. Near the apex of the inner Mach cone where the plasma flows from the opposite sides of the obstacle meet, a shock wave arises. We expect the shock to be produced at periods of high electron temperature solar wind streams (T(sub i) much less than T(sub e) approximately 100 eV). The shock is produced by the interaction of oppositely directed proton beams in the plane containing solar wind velocity and interplanetary magnetic field vectors. In the direction across the magnetic field and the solar wind velocity, the shock results from the interaction of the plasma flow with the region of the enhanced magnetic field inside the cavity that plays the role of the magnetic barrier. The appearance of the standing shock wave is expected at the distance of approximately 7R(sub M) downstream of the Moon.

Hybrid simulation of the shock wave trailing the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Israelevich, P.; Ofman, L.

2012-08-01

A standing shock wave behind the Moon was predicted by Michel (1967) but never observed nor simulated. We use 1D hybrid code in order to simulate the collapse of the plasma-free cavity behind the Moon and for the first time to model the formation of this shock. Starting immediately downstream of the obstacle we consider the evolution of plasma expansion into the cavity in the frame of reference moving along with the solar wind. Well-known effects as electric charging of the cavity affecting the plasma flow and counterstreaming ion beams in the wake are reproduced. Near the apex of the inner Mach cone where the plasma flows from the opposite sides of the obstacle meet, a shock wave arises. We expect the shock to be produced at periods of high electron temperature solar wind streams (Ti ≪ Te ˜ 100 eV). The shock is produced by the interaction of oppositely directed proton beams in the plane containing solar wind velocity and interplanetary magnetic field vectors. In the direction across the magnetic field and the solar wind velocity, the shock results from the interaction of the plasma flow with the region of the enhanced magnetic field inside the cavity that plays the role of the magnetic barrier. The appearance of the standing shock wave is expected at the distance of ˜7RM downstream of the Moon.

Formation of multiple energy dispersion of H+, He+, and O+ ions in the inner magnetosphere in response to interplanetary shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuji, H.; Ebihara, Y.; Tanaka, T.

2017-04-01

An interplanetary (IP) shock has a large impact on magnetospheric ions. Satellite observations have shown that soon after arrival of the IP shock, overall intensity of the ions rapidly increases and multiple energy dispersion appears in an energy-time spectrogram of the ions. In order to understand the response of the magnetospheric ions to IP shock, we have performed test particle simulation under the electric and magnetic fields provided by the global magnetohydrodynamic simulation. We reconstructed the differential flux of H+, He+, and O+ ions at (7, 0, 0) Re in GSM coordinates by means of the semi-Lagrangian (phase space mapping) method. Simulation results show that the ions respond to the IP shock in two different ways. First, overall intensity of the flux gradually increases at all pitch angles. As the compressional wave propagates tailward, the magnetic field increases, which accelerates the ions due to the gyrobetatron. Second, multiple energy-time dispersion appears in the reconstructed spectrograms of the ion flux. The energy-time dispersion is caused by the ion moving toward mirror point together with tailward propagating compressional wave at off-equator. The ions are primarily accelerated by the drift betatron under the strong electric field looking dawnward. The dispersion is absent in the spectrogram of equatorially mirroring ions. The dispersion appears at higher energy for heavier ions. These features are consistent with the satellite observations. Because the acceleration depends on bounce phase, the bounce-averaged approximation is probably invalid for the ions during the interval of geomagnetic sudden commencement.