Cosmic-Ray Transport in Heliospheric Magnetic Structures. III. Implications of Solar Magnetograms for the Drifts of Cosmic Rays

The transport of energetic particles in the heliosphere is reviewed regarding the treatment of their drifts over an entire solar cycle including the periods around solar maximum, when the tilt angles of the heliospheric current sheet increase to large values and the sign of the magnetic polarity changes. While gradient and curvature drifts are well-established elements of the propagation of cosmic rays in the heliospheric magnetic field, their perturbation by the solar-activity-induced large-scale distortions of dipole-like field configurations and by magnetic turbulence is an open problem. Various empirical or phenomenological approaches have been suggested, but either lack a theory-based motivation or have been shown to be incompatible with measurements. We propose a new approach of more closely investigating solar magnetograms obtained from GONG maps, leading to a new definition of (i) tilt angles that may exceed those provided by the Wilcox Solar Observatory during high activity and of (ii) a “noninteger sign” that can be used to reduce the drifts during these periods as well as to provide a refinement of the magnetic field polarity. The change of sign from A < 0 to A > 0 of solar cycle 24 can be in this way localized to occur between Carrington Rotations 2139 and 2140 in mid 2013. This treatment is fully consistent in the sense that the transport modeling uses the same input data to formulate the boundary conditions at the heliobase as do the magnetohydrodynamic models of the solar wind and the embedded heliospheric magnetic field that exploit solar magnetograms as inner boundary conditions.

Influence of Solar Wind on Secondary Cosmic Rays and Atmospheric Electricity

A relationship between the heliospheric magnetic field, atmospheric electric field, lightning activity, and secondary cosmic rays measured on the high mount of Lomnický Štít (2,634 m a.s.l.), Slovakia, during the declining phase of the solar cycle 24 is investigated with a focus on variations related to solar rotation (about 27 days). The secondary cosmic rays are detected using a neutron monitor and the detector system SEVAN, which distinguishes between different particles and energies. Using spectral analysis, we found distinct ∼27-day periodicities in variations of Bx and By components of the heliospheric magnetic field and in pressure-corrected measurements of secondary cosmic rays. The 27-day variations of secondary cosmic rays, on average, advanced and lagged the variations of Bx and By components by about 40° and −140°, respectively. Distinct 27-day periodicities were found both in the neutron monitor and the SEVAN upper and middle detector measurements. A nondominant periodicity of ∼27 days was also found for lightning activity. A cross-spectral analysis between fluctuation of the lightning activity and fluctuation of the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF) showed that fluctuation of the lightning activity was in phase and in antiphase with Bx and By components of the HMF, respectively, which is in agreement with previous studies investigating the influence of solar activity on lightning. On the other hand, the ∼27-day periodicity was not significant in the atmospheric electric field measured in Slovakia and Czechia. Therefore, no substantial influence of Bx and By on the atmospheric electric field was observed at these middle-latitude stations.

Abrupt shrinking of solar corona in late 1990s and related changes in solar magnetic structure

&lt;p&gt;Several studies have noted on changes in the properties of sunspots, and in the mutual relations between various global parameters of solar magnetic activity (e.g. UV/EUV irradiance, radio and IR emissions, TSI/SSI), as well as between solar and ionospheric parameters since the onset of solar cycle 23. These changes have been suggested to be related to the overall reduction of solar activity at the aftermath of the decline of the Grand modern maximum of solar activity that prevailed during most of the 20th century. We have recently derived the longest record of coronal magnetic field intensities since 1968 using Mount Wilson Observatory and Wilcox Solar Observatory observations of the photospheric magnetic field and the PFSS model, and compared it with the heliospheric magnetic field observed at the Earth. We found that the time evolution of the coronal magnetic field during the last 50 years agrees with the heliospheric magnetic field only if the effective coronal size, the distance of the coronal source surface of the heliospheric magnetic field, is allowed to change in time. We calculated the optimum distance for each solar rotation and found that it experienced an abrupt decrease in the late 1990s. The effective volume of the solar corona shrunk to less than one half of its previous value during a short period of only a few years. This shrinking was related with a systematic change in the structure of the coronal magnetic field during the same time interval. We review these dramatic changes in the solar corona and discuss their possible connection to the changes in the different solar activity parameters and the reduction of the overall solar activity.&lt;/p&gt;

Radial Evolution of Inverted Heliospheric Magnetic Field Between 0.3 and 1 AU

&lt;p&gt;Local inversions, or &amp;#8216;switchbacks&amp;#8217;, in the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF) have recently been identified as prominent features in the inner heliosphere through observations by Parker Solar Probe. These inversions coincide with spikes in radial velocity, and have been interpreted as possibly being the result of jets originating in the corona. While magnetic inversions with similar properties to these jets have also been observed by Helios around its perihelion of ~0.3 AU, inversions with a range of properties and scales have long been studied at distances of 1 AU and beyond. The processes which form the inversions seen outside of 0.3 AU, and whether they are a result of solar wind formation in the solar corona or the transport of solar wind through the heliosphere, are not clear. We present a statistical study on the occurrence of inverted heliospheric magnetic field using Helios 1 observations spanning heliocentric distances 0.3&amp;#8212;1 AU. The evolution of inversion occurrence allows us to identify probable locations in the heliosphere where inversions may be produced. Based on these results, we make suggestions as to which processes are most likely responsible for inverted HMF observed between 0.3 and 1 AU.&lt;/p&gt;

Features of the Galactic Cosmic Ray Anisotropy in Solar Cycle 24 and Solar Minima 23/24 and 24/25

We study the role of the drift effect in the temporal changes of the anisotropy of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and the influence of the sector structure of the heliospheric magnetic field on it. We analyze the GCR anisotropy in Solar Cycle 24 and solar minimum 23/24 with negative polarity ($qA<0$qA<0) for the period of 2007 – 2009 and near minimum 24/25 with positive polarity ($qA>0$qA>0) in 2017 – 2018 using data of the global network of Neutron Monitors. We use the harmonic analysis method to calculate the radial and tangential components of the anisotropy of GCRs for different sectors (‘+’ corresponds to the positive and ‘−’ to the negative directions) of the heliospheric magnetic field. We compare the analysis of GCR anisotropy using different evaluations of the mean GCRs rigidity related to Neutron Monitor observations. Then the radial and tangential components are used for characterizing the GCR modulation in the heliosphere. We show that in the solar minimum 23/24 in 2007 – 2009 when $qA<0$qA<0, the drift effect is not visibly evident in the changes of the radial component, i.e. the drift effect is found to produce $\approx 4$≈4% change in the radial component of the GCR anisotropy for 2007 – 2009. Hence the diffusion dominated model of GCR transport is more acceptable in 2007 – 2009. In turn, near the solar minimum 24/25 in 2017 – 2018 when $qA>0$qA>0, the drift effect is evidently visible and produces ≈40% change in the radial component of the GCR anisotropy for 2017 – 2018. So in the period of 2017 – 2018 a diffusion model with noticeably manifested drift is acceptable. The results of this work are in good agreement with the drift theory of GCR modulation, according to which, during negative (positive) polarity cycles, a drift stream of GCRs is directed toward (away from) the Sun, thus giving rise to a 22-year cycle variation of the radial GCR anisotropy.