A Survey of Interplanetary Small Flux Ropes at Mercury

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Réka Winslow ◽  
Amy Murphy ◽  
Nathan Schwadron ◽  
Noé Lugaz ◽  
Wenyuan Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Current Sheet ◽  
Heliocentric Distance ◽  
Free Field ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Solar Wind Plasma ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Superposed Epoch Analysis ◽  
Flux Ropes

<p>Small flux ropes (SFRs) are interplanetary magnetic flux ropes with durations from a few minutes to a few hours. We have built a comprehensive catalog of SFRs at Mercury using magnetometer data from the orbital phase of the MESSENGER mission (2011-2015). In the absence of solar wind plasma measurements, we developed strict identification criteria for SFRs in the magnetometer observations, including conducting force-free field fits for each flux rope. We identified a total of 48 events that met our strict criteria, with events ranging in duration from 2.5 minutes to 4 hours. Using superposed epoch analysis, we obtained the generic SFR magnetic field profile at Mercury. Due to the large variation in Mercury's heliocentric distance (0.31-0.47 AU), we split the data into two distance bins. We found that the average SFR profile is more symmetric "farther from the Sun", in line with the idea that SFRs form closer to the Sun and undergo a relaxation process in the solar wind. Based on this result, as well as the SFR durations and the magnetic field strength fall-off with heliocentric distance, we infer that the SFRs observed at Mercury are expanding as they propagate with the solar wind. We also determined that the SFR occurrence frequency is nearly four times as high at Mercury as for similarly detected events at 1 AU. Most interestingly, we found two SFR populations in our dataset, one likely generated in a quasi-periodic formation process near the heliospheric current sheet, and the other formed away from the current sheet in isolated events.</p>

scholarly journals Are there current-sheet-like structures in the Earth's magnetotail as in the solar wind – results and implications from high time resolution magnetic field measurements by Cluster

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1889-1895 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Li ◽  
E. Lee ◽  
G. Parks
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Current Sheet ◽  
Time Resolution ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Solar Wind Plasma ◽  
High Time ◽  
High Time Resolution ◽  
Mhd Turbulence ◽  
Flux Tubes

Abstract. Recent studies of solar wind MHD turbulence show that current-sheet-like structures are common in the solar wind and they are a significant source of solar wind MHD turbulence intermittency. While numerical simulations have suggested that such structures can arise from non-linear interactions of MHD turbulence, a recent study by Borovsky (2006), upon analyzing one year worth of ACE data, suggests that these structures may represent the magnetic walls of flux tubes that separate solar wind plasma into distinct bundles and these flux tubes are relic structures originating from boundaries of supergranules on the surface of the Sun. In this work, we examine whether there are such structures in the Earth's magnetotail, an environment vastly different from the solar wind. We use high time resolution magnetic field data of the FGM instrument onboard Cluster C1 spacecraft. The orbits of Cluster traverse through both the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosheath and magnetotail. This makes its dataset ideal for studying differences between solar wind MHD turbulence and that inside the Earth's magnetosphere. For comparison, we also perform the same analysis when Cluster C1 is in the solar wind. Using a data analysis procedure first introduced in Li (2007, 2008), we find that current-sheet-like structures can be clearly identified in the solar wind. However, similar structures do not exist inside the Earth's magnetotail. This result can be naturally explained if these structures have a solar origin as proposed by Borovsky (2006). With such a scenario, current analysis of solar wind MHD turbulence needs to be improved to include the effects due to these curent-sheet-like structures.

scholarly journals THE STRUCTURE OF THE SOLAR WIND IN THE HELIOSPHERE DEPENDING ON THE PHASE OF THE SOLAR CYCLE: LARGE-SCALE DYNAMICS OF THE HELIOSPHERIC CURRENT SHEET

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-87
Author(s):  
E.V. Maiewski ◽  
R.A. Kislov ◽  
H.V. Malova ◽  
O.V. Khabarova ◽  
V.Yu. Popov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Solar Activity ◽  
Solar Cycle ◽  
Current Sheet ◽  
Heliospheric Current Sheet ◽  
High Solar Activity ◽  
The Sun ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
The Magnetic Field

A stationary axisymmetric MHD model of the solar wind has been constructed, which allows us to study the spatial distribution of the magnetic field and plasma characteristics at radial distances from 20 to 400 radii of the Sun at almost all heliolatitudes. The model takes into account the changes in the magnetic field of the Sun during a quarter of the solar cycle, when the dominant dipole magnetic field is replaced by a quadrupole. Selfconsistent solutions for the magnetic and velocity fields, plasma concentration and current density of the solar wind depending on the phase of the solar cycle are obtained. It is shown that during the domination of the dipole magnetic component in the solar wind heliospheric current sheet (HCS) is located in the equatorial plane, which is a part of the system of radial and transverse currents, symmetrical in the northern and southern hemispheres. As the relative contribution of the quadrupole component to the total magnetic field increases, the shape of the HCS becomes conical; the angle of the cone gradually decreases, so that the current sheet moves entirely to one of the hemispheres. At the same time, at high latitudes of the opposite hemisphere, a second conical HCS arises, the angle of which increases. When the quadrupole field becomes dominant (at maximum solar activity), both HCS lie on conical surfaces inclined at an angle of 35 degrees to the equator. The model describes the transition from the fast solar wind at high latitudes to the slow solar wind at low latitudes: a relatively gentle transition in the period of low solar activity gives way to more drastic when high solar activity. The model also predicts an increase in the steepness of the profiles of the main characteristics of the solar wind with an increase in the radial distance from the Sun. Comparison of the obtained dependences with the available observational data is discussed.

scholarly journals Whistler waves observed by Solar Orbiter during its first orbit

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthieu Kretschmar ◽  
Thomas Chust ◽  
Daniel Graham ◽  
Volodya Krasnosekskikh ◽  
Lucas Colomban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Electromagnetic Waves ◽  
Heliocentric Distance ◽  
Plasma Waves ◽  
Distribution Functions ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Whistler Waves ◽  
Velocity Distribution Functions ◽  
The Waves

<p>Plasma waves can play an important role in the evolution of the solar wind and the particle velocity distribution functions in particular. We analyzed the electromagnetic waves observed above a few Hz by the Radio Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument suite onboard Solar Orbiter, during its first orbit, which covered a distance from the Sun between 1 AU and 0.5 AU.  We identified the majority of the detected waves as whistler waves with frequency around  0.1 f_ce and right handed circular polarisation. We found these waves to be mostly aligned or anti aligned with the ambient magnetic field, and rarely oblique. We also present and discuss their direction of propagation and the variation of the waves' properties with heliocentric distance.</p>

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).

The Sun, geomagnetic polarity transitions, and possible biospheric effects: review and illustrating model

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl-Heinz Glassmeier ◽  
Otto Richter ◽  
Joachim Vogt ◽  
Petra Möbus ◽  
Antje Schwalb
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Geomagnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind Plasma ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Solar Origin ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Polarity Transition ◽  
Weak Transition ◽  
Geomagnetic Polarity

AbstractThe Earth is embedded in the solar wind, this ever-streaming extremely tenuous ionized gas emanating from the Sun. It is the geomagnetic field which inhibits the solar wind plasma to directly impinge upon the terrestrial atmosphere. It is also the geomagnetic field which moderates and controls the entry of energetic particles of cosmic and solar origin into the atmosphere. During geomagnetic polarity transitions the terrestrial magnetic field decays down to about 10% of its current value. Also, the magnetic field topology changes from a dipole dominated structure to a multipole dominated topology. What happens to the Earth system during such a polarity transition, that is, during episodes of a weak transition field? Which modifications of the configuration of the terrestrial magnetosphere can be expected? Is there any influence on the atmosphere from the intensified particle bombardment? What are the possible effects on the biosphere? Is a polarity transition another example of a cosmic cataclysm? A review is provided on the current understanding of the problem. A first, illustrating model is also discussed to outline the complexity of any biospheric reaction on polarity transitions.

Predicting geo-effectiveness of CMEs with EUHFORIA coupled to OpenGGCM

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anwesha Maharana ◽  
Camilla Scolini ◽  
Joachim Raeder ◽  
Stefaan Poedts
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Weather Forecasting ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Solar Wind Plasma ◽  
Geomagnetic Disturbance ◽  
Propagation Model ◽  
Magnetized Plasma ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact

<div> <p>The <strong>EU</strong>ropean <strong>H</strong>eliospheric <strong>FOR</strong>ecasting <strong>I</strong>nformation <strong>A</strong>sset (<strong>EUHFORIA</strong>, Pomoell and Poedts, 2018) is a physics-based heliospheric and CME propagation model designed for space weather forecasting. Although EUHFORIA can predict the solar wind plasma and magnetic field parameters at Earth, it is not designed to evaluate indices like Disturbance-storm-time (Dst) or Auroral Electrojet (AE) that quantify the impact of the magnetized plasma encounters on Earth’s magnetosphere. To overcome this limitation, we coupled EUHFORIA with <strong>Open</strong> <strong>G</strong>eospace <strong>G</strong>eneral <strong>C</strong>irculation <strong>M</strong>odel (<strong>OpenGGCM</strong>, Raeder et al, 1996) which is a magnetohydrodynamic model of Earth’s magnetosphere. In this coupling, OpenGGCM takes the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field obtained from EUHFORIA simulation as input to produce the magnetospheric and ionospheric parameters of Earth. We perform test runs to validate the coupling with real CME events modelled using flux rope models like Spheromak and FRi3D. We compare these simulation results with the indices obtained from OpenGGCM simulations driven by the measured solar wind data from spacecrafts like WIND. We further discuss how the choice of CME model and observationally constrained parameters influences the input parameters, and hence the geomagnetic disturbance indices estimated by OpenGGCM. We highlight limitations of the coupling and suggest improvements for future work. </p> </div>

scholarly journals Magnetic Cloud as a Dual-Polarity Flux Rope

2001 ◽  
Vol 203 ◽  
pp. 541-543
Author(s):  
M. Vandas ◽  
A. Geranios
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Strong Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Cloud ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Solar Wind Plasma ◽  
Magnetic Polarity ◽  
Annular Region ◽  
The Core ◽  
Dual Polarity

The magnetic cloud of November 17-18, 1975 is analyzed and it is shown that measurements of magnetic field and solar wind plasma are consistent with the interpretation that this magnetic cloud is a dual-polarity flux rope which consists of a core and an annular region. The core has a strong magnetic field; the annular region has a higher plasma density and opposite magnetic polarity.

scholarly journals Magnetic twist profile inside magnetic clouds derived with a superposed epoch analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 635 ◽  
pp. A85 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Lanabere ◽  
S. Dasso ◽  
P. Démoulin ◽  
M. Janvier ◽  
L. Rodriguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Unit Length ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Dynamical Evolution ◽  
Magnetic Clouds ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Superposed Epoch Analysis ◽  
Central Value ◽  
Field Lines

Context. Magnetic clouds (MCs) are large-scale interplanetary transient structures in the heliosphere that travel from the Sun into the interplanetary medium. The internal magnetic field lines inside the MCs are twisted, forming a flux rope (FR). This magnetic field structuring is determined by its initial solar configuration, by the processes involved during its eruption from the Sun, and by the dynamical evolution during its interaction with the ambient solar wind. Aims. One of the most important properties of the magnetic structure inside MCs is the twist of the field lines forming the FR (the number of turns per unit length). The detailed internal distribution of twist is under debate mainly because the magnetic field (B) in MCs is observed only along the spacecraft trajectory, and thus it is necessary to complete observations with theoretical assumptions. Estimating the twist from the study of a single event is difficult because the field fluctuations significantly increase the noise of the observed B time series and thus the bias of the deduced twist. Methods. The superposed epoch applied to MCs has proven to be a powerful technique, permitting the extraction of their common features, and removing the peculiarity of individual cases. We apply a superposed epoch technique to analyse the magnetic components in the local FR frame of a significant sample of moderately asymmetric MCs observed at 1 au. Results. From the superposed profile of B components in the FR frame, we determine the typical twist distribution in MCs. The twist is nearly uniform in the FR core (central half part), and it increases moderately, up to a factor two, towards the MC boundaries. This profile is close to the Lundquist field model limited to the FR core where the axial field component is above about one-third of its central value.

Characterisation and comparison of slow coronal hole wind intervals at 0.13au

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Woolley ◽  
Lorenzo Matteini ◽  
Timothy S Horbury ◽  
Ronan Laker ◽  
Lloyd D Woodham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Current Sheet ◽  
Coronal Hole ◽  
Heliocentric Distance ◽  
Heliospheric Current Sheet ◽  
Polar Coronal Hole ◽  
Slow Solar Wind ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Streamer Belt ◽  
Different Origin

<p>The slow solar wind is thought to consist of a component originating close to the Heliospheric Current Sheet (HCS) in the streamer belt and a component from over-expanded coronal hole boundaries. In order to understand the roles of these contributions with different origin, it is important to separate and characterise them. By exploiting the fact that Parker Solar Probe’s fourth and fifth orbits were the same and the solar conditions were similar, we identify intervals of slow polar coronal hole wind sampled at approximately the same heliocentric distance and latitude. Here, solar wind properties are compared, highlighting typical conditions of the slow coronal hole wind closer to the Sun than ever before. We explore different properties of the plasma, including composition, spectra and microphysics, and discuss possible origins for the features that are observed.</p>

scholarly journals A review of the SCOSTEP’s 5-year scientific program VarSITI—Variability of the Sun and Its Terrestrial Impact

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuo Shiokawa ◽  
Katya Georgieva
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Interplanetary Space ◽  
Solar Wind Plasma ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Scientific Program ◽  
Solar Cycles ◽  
Grand Minimum ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Earth Connection ◽  
Near Future

AbstractThe Sun is a variable active-dynamo star, emitting radiation in all wavelengths and solar-wind plasma to the interplanetary space. The Earth is immersed in this radiation and solar wind, showing various responses in geospace and atmosphere. This Sun–Earth connection variates in time scales from milli-seconds to millennia and beyond. The solar activity, which has a ~11-year periodicity, is gradually declining in recent three solar cycles, suggesting a possibility of a grand minimum in near future. VarSITI—variability of the Sun and its terrestrial impact—was the 5-year program of the scientific committee on solar-terrestrial physics (SCOSTEP) in 2014–2018, focusing on this variability of the Sun and its consequences on the Earth. This paper reviews some background of SCOSTEP and its past programs, achievements of the 5-year VarSITI program, and remaining outstanding questions after VarSITI.

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