scholarly journals The expected imprint of flux rope geometry on suprathermal electrons in magnetic clouds

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 4057-4067 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Owens ◽  
N. U. Crooker ◽  
T. S. Horbury
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Flux ◽  
Pitch Angle ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Magnetic Clouds ◽  
Magnetic Field Direction ◽  
Magnetic Flux Rope ◽  
Suprathermal Electron ◽  
Angle Scattering ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Abstract. Magnetic clouds are a subset of interplanetary coronal mass ejections characterized by a smooth rotation in the magnetic field direction, which is interpreted as a signature of a magnetic flux rope. Suprathermal electron observations indicate that one or both ends of a magnetic cloud typically remain connected to the Sun as it moves out through the heliosphere. With distance from the axis of the flux rope, out toward its edge, the magnetic field winds more tightly about the axis and electrons must traverse longer magnetic field lines to reach the same heliocentric distance. This increased time of flight allows greater pitch-angle scattering to occur, meaning suprathermal electron pitch-angle distributions should be systematically broader at the edges of the flux rope than at the axis. We model this effect with an analytical magnetic flux rope model and a numerical scheme for suprathermal electron pitch-angle scattering and find that the signature of a magnetic flux rope should be observable with the typical pitch-angle resolution of suprathermal electron data provided ACE's SWEPAM instrument. Evidence of this signature in the observations, however, is weak, possibly because reconnection of magnetic fields within the flux rope acts to intermix flux tubes.

The self-similar, non-linear evolution of rotating magnetic flux ropes

1995 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 815-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Farrugia ◽  
V. A Osherovich ◽  
L. F. Burlaga
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Flux ◽  
Small Amplitude ◽  
Symmetry Axis ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Magnetic Clouds ◽  
Linear Evolution ◽  
Multiplicative Factor ◽  
Self Similar ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Abstract. We study, in the ideal MHD approximation, the non-linear evolution of cylindrical magnetic flux tubes differentially rotating about their symmetry axis. Our force balance consists of inertial terms, which include the centrifugal force, the gradient of the axial magnetic pressure, the magnetic pinch force and the gradient of the gas pressure. We employ the "separable" class of self-similar magnetic fields, defined recently. Taking the gas to be a polytrope, we reduce the problem to a single, ordinary differential equation for the evolution function. In general, two regimes of evolution are possible; expansion and oscillation. We investigate the specific effect rotation has on these two modes of evolution. We focus on critical values of the flux rope parameters and show that rotation can suppress the oscillatory mode. We estimate the critical value of the angular velocity Ωcrit, above which the magnetic flux rope always expands, regardless of the value of the initial energy. Studying small-amplitude oscillations of the rope, we find that torsional oscillations are superimposed on the rotation and that they have a frequency equal to that of the radial oscillations. By setting the axial component of the magnetic field to zero, we study small-amplitude oscillations of a rigidly rotating pinch. We find that the frequency of oscillation ω is inversely proportional to the angular velocity of rotation Ω; the product ωΩbeing proportional to the inverse square of the Alfvén time. The period of large-amplitude oscillations of a rotating flux rope of low beta increases exponentially with the energy of the equivalent 1D oscillator. With respect to large-amplitude oscillations of a non-rotating flux rope, the only change brought about by rotation is to introduce a multiplicative factor greater than unity, which further increases the period. This multiplicative factor depends on the ratio of the azimuthal speed to the Alfvén speed. Finally, considering interplanetary magnetic clouds as cylindrical flux ropes, we inquire whether they rotate. We find that at 1 AU only a minority do. We discuss data on two magnetic clouds where we interpret the presence in each of vortical plasma motion about the symmetry axis as a sign of rotation. Our estimates for the angular velocities suggest that the parameters of the two magnetic clouds are below critical values. The two clouds differ in many respects (such as age, bulk flow speed, size, handedness of the magnetic field, etc.), and we find that their rotational parameters reflect some of these differences, particularly the difference in age. In both clouds, a rough estimate of the radial electric field in the rigidly rotating core, calculated in a non-rotating frame, yields values of the order mV m–1.

Estimation of the spatial structure of a detached magnetic flux rope at Mars based on simultaneous MAVEN plasma and magnetic field observations

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (21) ◽  
pp. 8933-8941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuya Hara ◽  
David L. Mitchell ◽  
James P. McFadden ◽  
Kanako Seki ◽  
David A. Brain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Flux ◽  
Spatial Structure ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Magnetic Flux Rope

scholarly journals Magnetic clouds' structure in the magnetosheath as observed by Cluster and Geotail: four case studies

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1247-1261 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Turc ◽  
D. Fontaine ◽  
P. Savoini ◽  
E. K. J. Kilpua
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Magnetic Fields ◽  
Bow Shock ◽  
Field Direction ◽  
Magnetic Clouds ◽  
Magnetic Field Direction ◽  
Field Orientation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Abstract. Magnetic clouds (MCs) are large-scale magnetic flux ropes ejected from the Sun into the interplanetary space. They play a central role in solar–terrestrial relations as they can efficiently drive magnetic activity in the near-Earth environment. Their impact on the Earth's magnetosphere is often attributed to the presence of southward magnetic fields inside the MC, as observed in the upstream solar wind. However, when they arrive in the vicinity of the Earth, MCs first encounter the bow shock, which is expected to modify their properties, including their magnetic field strength and direction. If these changes are significant, they can in turn affect the interaction of the MC with the magnetosphere. In this paper, we use data from the Cluster and Geotail spacecraft inside the magnetosheath and from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) upstream of the Earth's environment to investigate the impact of the bow shock's crossing on the magnetic structure of MCs. Through four example MCs, we show that the evolution of the MC's structure from the solar wind to the magnetosheath differs largely from one event to another. The smooth rotation of the MC can either be preserved inside the magnetosheath, be modified, i.e. the magnetic field still rotates slowly but at different angles, or even disappear. The alteration of the magnetic field orientation across the bow shock can vary with time during the MC's passage and with the location inside the magnetosheath. We examine the conditions encountered at the bow shock from direct observations, when Cluster or Geotail cross it, or indirectly by applying a magnetosheath model. We obtain a good agreement between the observed and modelled magnetic field direction and shock configuration, which varies from quasi-perpendicular to quasi-parallel in our study. We find that the variations in the angle between the magnetic fields in the solar wind and in the magnetosheath are anti-correlated with the variations in the shock obliquity. When the shock is in a quasi-parallel regime, the magnetic field direction varies significantly from the solar wind to the magnetosheath. In such cases, the magnetic field reaching the magnetopause cannot be approximated by the upstream magnetic field. Therefore, it is important to take into account the conditions at the bow shock when estimating the impact of an MC with the Earth's environment because these conditions are crucial in determining the magnetosheath magnetic field, which then interacts with the magnetosphere.

scholarly journals Microwave indicator of potential geoeffectiveness and magnetic flux-rope structure of a solar active region

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Anastasiia Kudriavtseva ◽  
Ivan Myshyakov ◽  
Arkadiy Uralov ◽  
Victor Grechnev
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Active Region ◽  
Magnetic Flux ◽  
Neutral Line ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Coronal Magnetic Field ◽  
Horizontal Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Flux Rope ◽  
Magnetic Flux Ropes ◽  
Class Flare

We analyze the presence of a microwave neutral-line-associated source (NLS) in a super-active region NOAA 12673, which produced a number of geo-effective events in September 2017. To estimate the NLS position, we use data from the Siberian Radioheliograph in a range 4–8 GHz and from the Nobeyama Radioheliograph at 17 GHz. Calculation of the coronal magnetic field in a non-linear force-free approximation has revealed an extended structure consisting of interconnected magnetic flux ropes, located practically along the entire length of the main polarity separation line of the photospheric magnetic field. NLS is projected into the region of the strongest horizontal magnetic field, where the main energy of this structure is concentrated. During each X-class flare, the active region lost magnetic helicity and became a CME source.

The magnetic flux rope structure of coronal mass ejections – 2021 Julius Bartels Medal Lecture at vEGU

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volker Bothmer
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Flux ◽  
White Light ◽  
Coronal Mass Ejections ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Neutral Line ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Magnetic Clouds ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Magnetic Flux Rope

<div> <p><span>Magnetic clouds are transient solar wind flows in the interplanetary medium with smooth rotations of the magnetic field vector and low plasma beta values. The analysis of magnetic clouds identified in the data of the two Helios spacecraft between 0.3 and 1 AU showed that they can be interpreted to first order by force-free, large-scale, cylindrical magnetic flux tubes. A close correlation of their occurrences was found with disappearing filaments at the Sun. The magnetic clouds that originated from the northern solar hemisphere showed predominantly left-handed magnetic helicities and the ones from the southern hemisphere predominantly right-handed ones. They were often preceded by an interplanetary shock wave and some were found to be directly following a coronal mass ejection towards the Helios spacecraft as detected by the Solwind coronagraph on board the P78-1 satellite. With the SOHO mission unprecedented long-term observations of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were taken with the LASCO coronagraphs, with a spatial and time resolution that allowed to investigate their internal white-light fine structure. With complementary photospheric and EUV observations from SOHO, CMEs were found to arise from pre-existing small scale loop systems, overlying regions of opposite magnetic polarities. From the characteristic pattern of their source regions in both solar hemispheres, a generic scheme was presented in which their projected white-light topology depends primarily on the orientation and position of the source region’s neutral line on the solar disk. Based on this interpretation the graduated cylindrical shell method was developed, which allowed to model the electron density distribution of CMEs as 3D flux ropes. This concept was validated through stereoscopic observations of CMEs taken by the coronagraphs of the SECCHI remote sensing suite on board the twin STEREO spacecraft. The observations further revealed that the dynamic near-Sun evolution of CMEs often leads to distortions of their flux rope structure. However, the magnetic flux rope concept of CMEs is today one of the fundamental methods in space weather forecasts. With the Parker Solar Probe we currently observe for the first time CMEs in-situ and remotely at their birthplaces in the solar corona and can further unravel their origin and evolution from the corona into the heliosphere. This lecture provides a state-of-the-art overview on the magnetic structure of CMEs and includes latest observations from the Parker Solar Probe mission.</span></p> </div>

scholarly journals New Force-Free Models of Magnetic Clouds

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 133-133
Author(s):  
M. Vandas ◽  
E. P. Romashets ◽  
S. Watari
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Cloud ◽  
Free Field ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Field Vector ◽  
Magnetic Clouds ◽  
Field Magnitude ◽  
Flux Ropes ◽  
Magnetic Field Magnitude ◽  
The Magnetic Field

AbstractMagnetic clouds are thought to be large flux ropes propagating through the heliosphere. Their twisted magnetic fields are mostly modeled by a constant-alpha force-free field in a circular cylindrical flux rope (the Lundquist solution). However, the interplanetary flux ropes are three dimensional objects. In reality they possibly have a curved shape and an oblate cross section. Recently we have found two force-free models of flux ropes which takes into account the mentioned features. These are (i) a constant-alpha force-free configuration in an elliptic flux rope (Vandas & Romashets 2003, A&A, 398, 801), and (ii) a non-constant-alpha force-free field in a toroid with arbitrary aspect ratio (Romashets & Vandas 2003, AIP Conf Ser. 679, 180). Two magnetic cloud observations were analyzed. The magnetic cloud of October 18-19, 1995 has been fitted by Lepping et al. (1997, JGR, 102, 14049) with use of the Lundquist solution. The cloud has a very flat magnetic field magnitude profile. We fitted it by the elliptic solution (i). The magnetic cloud of November 17-18, 1975 has been fitted by Marubashi (1997) with use of a toroidally adjusted Lundquist solution. The cloud has a large magnetic field vector rotation and a large magnetic field magnitude increase over the background level. We fitted it by the toroidal solution (ii). The both fits match the rotation of the magnetic field vector in a comparable quality to the former fits, but the description of the magnetic field magnitude profiles is remarkable better. It is possible to incorporate temporal effects (expansion) of magnetic clouds into the new solutions through a time-dependent alpha parameter as in Shimazu & Vandas (2002, EP&S, 54, 783).

Determination of Solar Energetic Particle anisotropies based on four-sector measurements - Study based on STEREO/SEPT in preperation of SolO/EPT

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian Bruedern ◽  
Nina Dresing ◽  
Bernd Heber ◽  
Lars Berger ◽  
Alexander Kollhoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Pitch Angle ◽  
Radial Distance ◽  
Solar Energetic Particle ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Angle Scattering ◽  
Bootstrap Approach ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
The Imf

<p>With the launch of Solar Orbiter (SolO) Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) can be observed at a radial distance of 0.284 to 0.9 AU and an inclination out of the ecliptic up to 34 degree. The properties of SEP observations carry information about their source at the Sun as well as their transport through the interplanetary medium. Their energy is mostly determined close to the Sun. As SEPs propagate outward along the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) the pitch-angle with respect to the local field is systematically focused due to the radially decreasing IMF. However, stochastic changes are induced by scattering at fluctuations of the IMF. Often the first order anisotropy of SEPs is calculated to disentangle imprints of source and transport. Strong anisotropies indicate periods of weak pitch-angle scattering. Although many modeling and observational studies are based on the anisotropy, its uncertainty is often neglected which could result in inaccurate conclusions. Therefore, we propose a new method based on a bootstrap approach where we consider (1) directional instrument responses, (2) the variation of the magnetic field, and (3) the stochastic nature of detection. Here, we present our procedure and final results for different SEP events using measured data of the IMF and particle fluxes by the Solar Electron and Proton Telescope (SEPT) on board of each STEREO spacecraft. The SEPT provides four viewing directions with a view cone of 0.66 sr each on a three axis stabilized spacecraft. In contrast the Electron and Proton Telescope (EPT) on board SolO also consists of four viewing directions but each telescope has a much smaller view cone of 0.21 sr. Due to the very similar instrument setup we can apply our method both to the SEPT and EPT.</p>

The evolution of magnetic flux ropes in sheared plasma flows

2000 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. SCHMIDT ◽  
P. J. CARGILL
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Flux ◽  
Shear Layer ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Circular Cross Section ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Plasma Pressure ◽  
Magnetic Flux Ropes ◽  
Flux Ropes ◽  
The Magnetic Field

The evolution of magnetic flux ropes in a sheared plasma flow is investigated. When the magnetic field outside the flux rope lies parallel to the axis of the flux rope, a flux rope of circular cross-section, whose centre is located at the midpoint of the shear layer, has its shape distorted, but remains in the shear layer. Small displacements of the flux-rope centre above or below the midpoint of the shear layer lead to the flux-rope being expelled from the shear layer. This motion arises because small asymmetries in the plasma pressure around the flux-rope boundary leads to a force that forces the flux rope into a region of uniform flow. When the magnetic field outside the flux rope lies in a plane perpendicular to the flux-rope axis, the flux rope and external magnetic field reconnect with each other, leading to the destruction of the flux rope.

scholarly journals Pressure enhancement associated with meridional flow in high-speed solar wind: possible evidence for an interplanetary magnetic flux rope

1997 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.-Y. Tu ◽  
E. Marsch ◽  
K. Ivory ◽  
R. Schwenn
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Angular Distribution ◽  
Magnetic Flux ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Electron Distribution Function ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Magnetic Flux Rope ◽  
Background Magnetic Field

Abstract. A sizable total-pressure (magnetic pressure plus kinetic pressure) enhancement was found within the high-speed wind stream observed by Helios 2 in 1976 near 0.3 AU. The proton density and temperature and the magnetic magnitude simultaneously increased for about 6 h. This pressure rise was associated with a comparatively large southward flow velocity component (with Vz ≈ –100 km · s–1) and magnetic-field rotation. The pressure enhancement was associated with unusual features in the electron distribution function. It shows a wide angular distribution of electron counting rates in the low-energy (57.8 eV) channel, while previous to the enhancement it exhibits a wide angular distribution of electron count rate in the high-energy (112, 221 and 309 eV) channels, perhaps indicating the mirroring of electrons in the converging field lines of the background magnetic field. These fluid and kinetic phenomena may be explained as resulting from an interplanetary magnetic flux rope which is not fully convected by the flow but moves against the background wind towards the Sun.

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