scholarly journals Outer Van Allen belt trapped and precipitating electron flux responses to two interplanetary magnetic clouds of opposite polarity

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 931-951
Author(s):  
Harriet George ◽  
Emilia Kilpua ◽  
Adnane Osmane ◽  
Timo Asikainen ◽  
Milla M. H. Kalliokoski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Radiation Belt ◽  
Magnetic Cloud ◽  
Opposite Polarity ◽  
Initial Energy ◽  
Magnetic Clouds ◽  
Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections ◽  
Field Orientation ◽  
Outer Radiation Belt ◽  
Trapped Electron

Abstract. Recently, it has been established that interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) can dramatically affect both trapped electron fluxes in the outer radiation belt and precipitating electron fluxes lost from the belt into the atmosphere. Precipitating electron fluxes and energies can vary over a range of timescales during these events. These variations depend on the initial energy and location of the electron population and the ICME characteristics and structures. One important factor controlling electron dynamics is the magnetic field orientation within the ejecta that is an integral part of the ICME. In this study, we examine Van Allen Probes (RBSPs) and Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POESs) data to explore trapped and precipitating electron fluxes during two ICMEs. The ejecta in the selected ICMEs have magnetic cloud characteristics that exhibit the opposite sense of the rotation of the north–south magnetic field component (BZ). RBSP data are used to study trapped electron fluxes in situ, while POES data are used for electron fluxes precipitating into the upper atmosphere. The trapped and precipitating electron fluxes are qualitatively analysed to understand their variation in relation to each other and to the magnetic cloud rotation during these events. Inner magnetospheric wave activity was also estimated using RBSP and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) data. In each event, the largest changes in the location and magnitude of both the trapped and precipitating electron fluxes occurred during the southward portion of the magnetic cloud. Significant changes also occurred during the end of the sheath and at the sheath–ejecta boundary for the cloud with south to north magnetic field rotation, while the ICME with north to south rotation had significant changes at the end boundary of the cloud. The sense of rotation of BZ and its profile also clearly affects the coherence of the trapped and/or precipitating flux changes, timing of variations with respect to the ICME structures, and flux magnitude of different electron populations. The differing electron responses could therefore imply partly different dominant acceleration mechanisms acting on the outer radiation belt electron populations as a result of opposite magnetic cloud rotation.

scholarly journals Outer Van Allen belt trapped and precipitating electron flux responses to two interplanetary magnetic clouds of opposite polarity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet George ◽  
Emilia Kilpua ◽  
Adnane Osmane ◽  
Timo Asikainen ◽  
Milla M. H. Kalliokoski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Radiation Belt ◽  
Electron Flux ◽  
Magnetic Cloud ◽  
Opposite Polarity ◽  
Magnetic Clouds ◽  
Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections ◽  
Field Orientation ◽  
Outer Radiation Belt ◽  
Trapped Electron

Abstract. Recently, it has been established that interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) can dramatically affect both trapped electron fluxes in the outer radiation belt and precipitating electron fluxes lost from the belt into the atmosphere. Precipitating electron flux and energy can vary over a range of timescales during these events. These variations depend on the initial energy and location of the electron population, as well as the ICME characteristics and structures. One important factor controlling electron dynamics is the magnetic field orientation within the ejecta that is an integral part of the ICME. In this study, we examine Van Allen Probes (RBSP) and Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES) data to explore trapped and precipitating electron fluxes during two ICMEs. The ejecta in the selected ICMEs have magnetic cloud characteristics that exhibit opposite sense of rotation of the north-south magnetic field component (BZ). RBSP data are used to study trapped electron fluxes in situ, while POES data are used for electron fluxes precipitating into the upper atmosphere. The trapped and precipitating electron fluxes are qualitatively analysed to understand their variation in relation to each other and to magnetic cloud rotation during these events. Inner magnetospheric wave activity was also estimated using RBSP and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) data. In each event, the largest changes in the location and magnitude of both the trapped and precipitating electron fluxes occurred during the southward portion of the magnetic cloud. Significant changes also occurred during the end of the sheath and at the sheath-cloud boundary for the cloud with south to north magnetic field rotation, while the ICME with north to south rotation had significant changes at the end boundary of the cloud. The sense of rotation of BZ and its profile also clearly affects the coherence of the trapped/precipitating flux changes, timing of variations with respect to the ICME structures, and flux magnitude of different electron populations. The differing electron responses could therefore imply partly different dominant acceleration mechanisms acting on the outer radiation belt electron populations as a result of opposite magnetic cloud rotation.

Electron Flux and Precipitation During ICME Case Studies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet E. George ◽  
Emilia Kilpua ◽  
Adnane Osmane ◽  
Timo Asikainen ◽  
Craig J. Rodger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Radiation Belt ◽  
Electron Flux ◽  
Rotating Magnetic Field ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections ◽  
Outer Radiation Belt ◽  
Magnetic Flux Ropes ◽  
Flux Ropes ◽  
Flux Response

<p>Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) can dramatically affect electrons in the outer radiation belt. Electron energy flux and location varies over a range of timescales during these events, depending on ICME characteristics. This highly complex response means that electron flux within the outer radiation belt and precipitation into the upper atmosphere during ICMEs is not yet fully understood. This study analyses the electron response to two ICMEs, which occurred near the maximum of Solar Cycle 24. Both ICMEs had leading shocks and sheaths, followed by magnetic flux ropes in the ejecta. The magnetic field in these flux ropes rotated throughout the events, with opposite rotation in each event. The field rotated from south to north during the first event, while the second event had rotation from north to south. Data from Van Allen Probes were used to study electron flux variation in the outer radiation belt, while POES data were used for electron precipitation into the upper atmosphere. Qualitative analysis of these data was carried out in order to characterise the temporal and spatial variations in electron flux and precipitation throughout these two events, with particular focus on the effects of the sheath and rotating magnetic field in the ICME ejecta. In both events, we observe enhanced precipitation at mid-latitudes during the southward portion of the ejecta, with greater enhancements taking place in lower energy electron populations. By contrast, flux of outer radiation belt electron populations differs significantly between the two ICMEs, highlighting the complexity of the electron flux response to these space weather events.</p>

scholarly journals Magnetic field disturbances in the sheath region of a super-sonic interplanetary magnetic cloud

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 3153-3158 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Romashets ◽  
M. Vandas ◽  
S. Poedts
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Magnetic Cloud ◽  
The Body ◽  
Magnetic Clouds ◽  
Shock Surface ◽  
Sheath Region ◽  
Magnetic Field Magnitude ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Disturbances

Abstract. It is well-known that interplanetary magnetic clouds can cause strong geomagnetic storms due to the high magnetic field magnitude in their interior, especially if there is a large negative Bz component present. In addition, the magnetic disturbances around such objects can play an important role in their "geo-effectiveness". On the other hand, the magnetic and flow fields in the CME sheath region in front of the body and in the rear of the cloud are important for understanding both the dynamics and the evolution of the interplanetary cloud. The "eventual" aim of this work is to calculate the magnetic field in this CME sheath region in order to evaluate the possible geo-efficiency of the cloud in terms of the maximum |Bz|-component in this region. In this paper we assess the potential of this approach by introducing a model with a simplified geometry. We describe the magnetic field between the CME shock surface and the cloud's boundary by means of a vector potential. We also apply our model and present the magnetic field distribution in the CME sheath region in front of the body and in the rear of the cloud formed after the event of 20 November 2003.

scholarly journals The relativistic electron response in the outer radiation belt during magnetic storms

2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 957-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. A. Iles ◽  
A. N. Fazakerley ◽  
A. D. Johnstone ◽  
N. P. Meredith ◽  
P. Bühler
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Interplanetary Magnetic Field ◽  
Relativistic Electron ◽  
Radiation Belt ◽  
Solar Wind Speed ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
Magnetic Storms ◽  
Outer Radiation Belt

Abstract. The relativistic electron response in the outer radiation belt during magnetic storms has been studied in relation to solar wind and geomagnetic parameters during the first six months of 1995, a period in which there were a number of recurrent fast solar wind streams. The relativistic electron population was measured by instruments on board the two microsatellites, STRV-1a and STRV-1b, which traversed the radiation belt four times per day from L ~ 1 out to L ~ 7 on highly elliptical, near-equatorial orbits. Variations in the E > 750 keV and E > 1 MeV electrons during the main phase and recovery phase of 17 magnetic storms have been compared with the solar wind speed, interplanetary magnetic field z-component, Bz , the solar wind dynamic pressure and Dst *. Three different types of electron responses are identified, with outcomes that strongly depend on the solar wind speed and interplanetary magnetic field orientation during the magnetic storm recovery phase. Observations also confirm that the L-shell, at which the peak enhancement in the electron count rate occurs has a dependence on Dst *.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (energetic particles, trapped; storms and substorms) – Space plasma physics (charged particle motion and accelerations)

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 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).

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