Relationship between the IMF azimuthal angle and solar wind velocity

The relationship between the IMF azimuthal angle and plasma velocity has been studied independently for three types of solar wind streams (recurrent and transient high-speed streams and low-speed background wind) based on the interplanetary medium parameters measured in the near-Earth orbits in 1964–1996. The relationships between the IMF azimuthal angle cotangent and plasma velocity are close to linear but strongly differ from one another and from the theoretical relationship for all types of streams. These differences area caused by the magnetic field disturbance on the time scales smaller than a day, and the effect of this disturbance has been studied quantitatively. The effective periods of rotation of the IMF sources on the Sun, depending on the solar cycle phase, have been obtained from the relations between the IMF azimuthal angle cotangent and plasma velocity. During the most part of the solar cycle, the periods of rotation of the IMF sources are close to the period of rotation of the solar equator but abruptly increase to the values typical of the solar circumpolar zones in the years of solar minimums.     

阿尔文涨落与地球磁层亚暴

本文讨论了一种地球磁层的亚暴机制。当行星际磁场有大的南向分量时,磁层的位形可由基本闭式转变为开式。磁鞘中的阿尔文波可以携带超过10~(18)尔格/秒的能流传入磁层尾部,并将能量耗散于等离子体片中。等离子体片中的粒子被加热和加速后,注入近地空间,产生环电流和极区亚暴。计算了剪切流场中阿尔文波的传播过程,以及磁层中阿尔文波的耗散。将本文的结算与[4]中的结果合在一起,可以说明当行星际磁场转向南时,容易发生地球磁层亚暴,但这两者并非一一对应的关系,行星际磁场没有南向分量时也可以发生地球磁层亚暴。     

Three-dimensional MHD simulation of interplanetary magnetic field changes at 1 AU as a consequence of simulated solar flares

A fully three-dimensional (3D), time-dependent, MHD interplanetary global model (3D IGM) has been used, for the first time, to study the relationship between different forms of solar activity and transient variations of the north-south component, B_z, of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) at 1 AU. One form of solar activity, the flare, is simulated by using a pressure pulse at different locations near the solar surface and observing the simulated IMF evolution of B (=-B_z) at 1 AU. Results show that, for a given pressure pulse, the orientation of the corresponding transient variation of B_z has a strong relationship to the location of the pressure pulse and the initial conditions of the IMF. Two initial IMF conditions are considered: a unipolar Archimedean spiral with outward polarity and a flat heliospheric current sheet (HCS) with outward polarity in the northern hemisphere and which gradually reverses polarity in the solar equatorial plane to inward polarity in the southern heliospheric hemisphere. The wave guide effect of the HCS is also demonstrated.     

A comparison of solar wind and ionospheric plasma contributions to the September 24–25, 1998 magnetic storm

We have used a global time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation of the magnetosphere and particle tracing calculations to determine the access of solar wind ions to the magnetosphere and the access of ionospheric O⁺ ions to the storm-time near-Earth plasma sheet and ring current during the September 24–25, 1998 magnetic storm. We found that both sources have access to the plasma sheet and ring current throughout the initial phase of the storm. Notably, the dawnside magnetosphere is magnetically open to the solar wind, allowing solar wind H⁺ ions direct access to the near-Earth plasma sheet and ring current. The supply of O⁺ ions from the dayside cusp to the plasma sheet varies because of changes in the solar wind dynamic pressure and in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Most significantly, ionospheric O⁺ from the dayside cusp loses access to the plasma sheet and ring current soon after the southward turning of the IMF, but recovers after the reconfiguration of the magnetosphere following the passage of the magnetic cloud. On average, during the first 3 h after the sudden storm commencement (SSC), the number density of solar wind H⁺ ions is a factor of 2–5 larger than the number density of ionospheric O⁺ ions in the plasma sheet and ring current. However, by 04:00 UT, ∼4 h after the SSC, O⁺ becomes the dominant species in the ring current and carries more energy density than H⁺ ions in both the plasma sheet and ring current.     

The dynamic cusp at low altitudes: a case study utilizing Viking,DMSP-F7, and Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radar observations

Coincident multi-instrument magnetospheric and ionospheric observations have made it possible to determine the position of the ionospheric footprint of the magnetospheric cusp and to monitor its evolution over time. The data used include charged particle and magnetic field measurements from the Earth-orbiting Viking and DMSP-F7 satellites, electric field measurements from Viking, interplanetary magnetic field and plasma data from IMP-8, and Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radar observations of the ionospheric plasma density, temperature, and convection. Viking detected cusp precipitation poleward of 75.5○ invariant latitude. The ionospheric response to the observed electron precipitation was simulated using an auroral model. It predicts enhanced plasma density and elevated electron temperature in the upper E- and F-regions. Sondrestrom radar observations are in agreement with the predictions. The radar detected a cusp signature on each of five consecutive antenna elevation scans covering 1.2 h local time. The cusp appeared to be about 2○ invariant latitude wide, and its ionospheric footprint shifted equatorward by nearly 2○ during this time, possibly influenced by an overall decrease in the IMF B_z component. The radar plasma drift data and the Viking magnetic and electric field data suggest that the cusp was associated with a continuous, rather than a patchy, merging between the IMF and the geomagnetic field.     

日面方位磁场扰动和行星际磁场螺旋结构

文采用球坐标下2.5维理想MHD模型,对日球子午面内方位磁场扰动的传播进行数值模拟,重点分析它对行星际磁场螺旋角的影响. 本文认为,观测到的行星际磁场螺旋角大于Parker模型的预言值,是太阳表面不断向行星际发出同向方位磁场扰动的结果;太阳较差自转在太阳内部产生的方位磁场为这类扰动提供了源头. 模拟结果表明,采用持续时间等于周期的十分之一、扰动幅度为103nT量级的正向方位磁场扰动,就可使1 AU处行星际磁场的螺旋角增加2°左右,与有关观测结果相符. 模拟结果还表明,上述方位磁场扰动对日球子午面内的太阳风特性和磁场位形的影响基本上可以忽略.     

Effect of the IMF neutral surface on north-south anisotropy of cosmic rays

The dependence of cosmic ray north-south anisotropy on the distance of the Earth to the IMF neutral current sheet has been studied. It has been indicated that the value of this anisotropy increases with increasing distance of the current sheet, and the anisotropy direction depends on polarity of the global solar magnetic field and on the sign of the IMF sector.     

Quiet-time Pc 5 pulsations in the Earth’s magnetotail: IMP-8, ISEE-1 and ISEE-3 simultaneous observations

Quasi-periodic Pc 5 pulsations have been reported inside and just outside the Earth’s magnetotail during intervals of low geomagnetic activity. In order to further define their characteristics and spatial extent, we present three case studies of simultaneous magnetic field and plasma observations by IMP-8, ISEE-1 (and ISEE-2 in one case) in the Earth’s magnetotail and ISEE-3 far upstream of the bow shock, during intervals in which the spacecraft were widely separated. In the first case study, similar pulsations are observed by IMP-8 at the dawn flank of the plasma sheet and by ISEE-1 near the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) near midnight local time. In the second case study, simultaneous pulsations are observed by IMP-8 in the dusk magnetosheath and by ISEE-1 and 2 in the dawn plasma sheet. In the third case study, simultaneous pulsations are observed in the north plasma sheet boundary layer and the south plasma sheet. We conclude that the pulsations occur simultaneously throughout much of the nightside magnetosphere and the surrounding magnetosheath, i.e. that they have a global character. Some additional findings are the following: (a) the observed pulsations are mixed mode compressional and transverse, where the compressional character is more apparent in the close vicinity of the plane Z_GSM=0; (b) the compressional pulsations of the magnetic field in the dusk magnetosheath show peaks that coincide (almost one-to-one) with similar peaks observed inside the dawn plasma sheet; (c) in the second case study the polarization sense of the magnetic field and the recurrent left-hand plasma vortices observed in the dawn plasma sheet are consistent with antisunward moving waves on the magneto-pause; (d) pulsation amplitudes are weaker in the PSBL(or lobe) as compared with those in the magneto-tail’s flanks, suggesting a decay with distance from the magnetopause; (e) the thickness of the plasma sheet (under extremely quiet conditions) is estimated to be \sim22 R_E at an average location of (X, Y)_GSM=(16, 17) R_E, whereas at midnight local time the thickness is \sim14 R_E. The detected pulsations are probably due to the pressure variations (recorded by ISEE-3) in the solar wind, and/or the Kelvin Helmholtz instability in the low-latitude boundary layer or the magnetopause due to a strongly northward IMF.     

Does the interplanetary magnetic field and the solar activity contribute to the tropospheric circulation?

A significant tendency is shown for both Etesians and (+, –) sector boundaries of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) to occur on the same solar rotation days, during the main period of the Etesians effect (July–August). In addition, the solar activity seems to control the Etesians distribution within the IMF sector structure. In the epoch of maximum there is a significant tendency of Etesians to occur during toward IMF days. In contrast, in the epoch of minimum Etesians occur mainly during away IMF days. Finally, in the epoch of intermediate the Etesians are uniformly distributed in away and toward IMF days. Since these conclusions are statistically significant at high confidence levels, it is fair to assume that IMF and solar activity seem to contribute, to some extent, to the Etesians occurrences, as well as to their distribution within the solar rotation and the IMF sector structure; that is, some solar contribution to the tropospheric circulation is implied.     

中近磁尾等离子体片统计特性研究

本文使用Cluster-C1卫星的CIS仪器和FGM仪器测量得到的质子通量数据和计算的β数据,判断Cluster卫星在地球磁尾不同位置位于等离子体片内的概率.使用2001—2004年7—11月的Cluster-C1数据,分别在行星际磁场南向和北向时,得出X-10RE区域内卫星位于等离子体片的概率在Y-Dz平面的分布图(Dz是卫星到中性片的距离).通过对比行星际磁场南向和北向时的卫星位于等离子体片的概率的分布图,我们发现等离子体片在行星际磁场南向时比在行星际磁场北向时要薄,并且这个效应在磁尾晨昏两侧比在午夜附近明显,同时我们还发现等离子体片在晨侧比在昏侧厚.     

THEMIS statistical study on the plasma properties of high-speed flows in Earth’s magnetotail

Using Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms(THEMIS) observations from 2007 to 2011 tail seasons, we study the plasma properties of high speed flows(HSFs) and background plasma sheet events(BPSs) in Earth's magnetotail(|Y_(GSM)|13R_E, |Z_(GSM)|5R_E, –30R_EX_(GSM)–6R_E), and their correlations with solar wind parameters. Statistical results show that the closer the HSFs and BPSs are to the Earth, the hotter they become, and the temperature increase of HSFs is larger than that of BPSs. The density and temperature ratios between HSFs and BPSs are also larger when events are closer to Earth. We also find that the best correlations between the HSFs(BPSs) density and the solar wind density occur when the solar wind density is averaged 2(3.5) hours prior to the onset of HSFs(BPSs). The normalized densities of both HSFs and BPSs are correlated with the interplanetary magnetic field(IMF) θ angles(θ=arctan(B_Z/((B_x~2)+(B_y~2))~(1/2) which are averaged 3 hours before the observation time. Further analysis indicates that both HSFs and BPSs become denser during the northward IMF period.     

A new framework for studying the relationship of aurora and plasma sheet dynamics

Auroras have been extensively studied using images obtained by space-borne experiments. We use global UVI images obtained from Polar and simultaneous plasma data obtained by the 3D instrument on Wind from the near-earth plasma sheet to study the dynamics of auroras with different size and intensity. Unstable phase space ion distributions are detected in the plasma sheet under diverse geomagnetic and solar wind IMF conditions (positive and negative B_z) and at all phases of a substorm. These results indicate that plasma instability processes with different disturbance levels operate in the plasma sheet and produce a continuum of auroral size and intensity. The criteria for triggering an instability are dependent on the local properties of the plasma distributions. These observations suggest a new framework to integrate previous and current results and a new way to examine the causal relationships of auroral and plasma sheet dynamics.     

GPS L1-Frequency Observations of Equatorial Scintillations and Irregularity Zonal Velocities

In this work, the climatology of ionospheric scintillations at global positioning system (GPS) L-band frequency and the zonal drift velocities of scintillation-producing irregularities were depicted for the equatorial observatory of São Luis (2.33°S; 44.21°W; dip latitude 1.3°S), Brazil. This is the first time that the hourly, monthly, and seasonal variations of scintillations and irregularity zonal drifts at São Luis were characterized during periods of different solar activity levels (from December 1998 to February 2007). The percentage occurrence of scintillations at different sectors of the sky was also investigated, and the results revealed that the scintillations are more probable to be observed in the west sector of the sky above São Luis, whereas the north–south asymmetries are possibly related to asymmetries in the plasma density distribution at off-equatorial latitudes. The scintillations on GPS signals occurred more frequently around solar maximum years, but it is also clear from the results of a strong variability in the scintillation activity in the years with moderate solar flux during the descending phase of the solar cycle. The equatorial scintillations occur predominantly during pre-midnight hours with a broad maximum near the December solstice months. In general, weak level of scintillations (S ₄ index between 0.2 and 0.4) dominated at all seasons; however, during the winter months around solar maximum years (although the scintillation occurrence is extremely low), stronger levels of scintillations (S ₄ > 0.6) may occur at comparable rate with the weak scintillations. The irregularity zonal velocities, as estimated from the GPS spaced-receiver technique, presented a different scenario for the two seasons analyzed; during the equinoxes, the magnitude of the zonal velocities appeared not to change with the solar activity, whereas during the December solstice months, the larger magnitudes were observed around solar maximum years. Other relevant aspects of the observations are highlighted and discussed.     

Contributions to the Ring Current Energy During Geomagnetic Storms

The purpose of this research was to study the complexity of the energization of the ring current during a geomagnetic storm, produced during southern Bz(IMF) by the injection of plasma sheet ions, accelerated by enhanced convective electric fields. This model assumes that the plasma sheet is continuously populated by H⁺ from the sun and the ionosphere, and sporadically by ionospheric O⁺, making the ring current a coupled system whose energy can hardly be expressed analytically. When Bz(IMF) turns north, the ring current becomes uncoupled, and the energy decays exponentially if the storm is weak, or can be expressed as a combination of exponentials during strong storms representing the quick decay of O⁺ and the slower decay of H⁺, as has been shown.     

The QBO effect on the solar signal in the global stratosphere in the winter of the Northern Hemisphere

This paper contains correlations between the NCEP/NCAR global stratospheric data below 10 hPa and the 11-year solar cycle. In the north summer the correlations between the stratospheric geopotential heights and the 11-year solar cycle are strong and positive on the Northern Hemisphere and as far south as 30°S, whereas they are weak in the north winter all over the globe. If the global stratospheric heights and temperatures in the north winter are stratified according to the phase of the QBO in the lower stratosphere, their correlations with the solar cycle are large and positive in the Arctic in the west years of the QBO but insignificantly small over the rest of the earth, as far as the South Pole. In the east years, however, the arctic correlations with the solar cycle are negative, but to the south they are positive and strong in the tropical and temperate regions of both hemispheres, similar to the correlations with the full series of stratospheric data in the other seasons. The influence of the solar cycle in the Arctic is stronger in the latter half of the winter. The global difference, in the northern winter, in the sign and strength of the correlations between the stratospheric heights and temperatures and the solar cycle in east and west years of the QBO can be ascribed to the fact that the dominant stratospheric teleconnection and the solar influence work in the same direction in the east years, but oppose each other in the west years.     

Solar wind velocity distribution on the heliospheric current sheet during Carrington rotations 1787-1795

The solar wind velocity distribution in the heliosphere is best represented using a v-map, where velocity contours are plotted in heliographic latitude-longitude coordinates. It has already been established that low-speed regions of the solar wind on the source surface correspond to the maximum bright regions of the K-corona and the neutral line of the coronal magnetic field. In this analysis, v-maps on the source surface for Carrington rotations (CRs) 1787-1795, during 1987, have been prepared using the interplanetary scintillation measurements at Research Institute of Atmospherics (RIA), Nagoya Univ., Japan. These v-maps were then used to study the time evolution of the low-speed (\leq450 km s⁻¹) belt of the solar wind and to deduce the distribution of solar wind velocity on the heliospheric current sheet. The low-speed belt of the solar wind on the source surface was found to change from one CR to the next, implying a time evolution. Instead of a slow and systematic evolution, the pattern of distribution of solar wind changed dramatically at one particular solar rotation (CR 1792) and the distributions for the succeeding rotations were similar to this pattern. The low-speed region, in most cases, was found to be close to the solar equator and almost parallel to it. However, during some solar rotations, they were found to be organised in certain longitudes, leaving regions with longitudinal width greater than 30^○ free of low-speed solar wind, i.e. these regions were occupied by solar wind with velocities greater than 450 km s⁻¹. It is also noted from this study that the low-speed belt, in general, followed the neutral line of the coronal magnetic field, except in certain cases. The solar wind velocity on the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) varied in the range 300–585 km s⁻¹ during the period of study, and the pattern of velocity distribution varied from rotation to rotation.     

The superdense plasma sheet in the magnetosphere during high-speed-stream-driven storms: Plasma transport timescales

The superdense plasma sheet in the Earth's magnetosphere is studied via a superposition of multispacecraft data collected during 124 high-speed-stream-driven storms. The storm onsets tend to occur after the passage of the IMF sector reversal and before the passage of the stream interface, and the storms continue on for days during the passage of the high-speed stream. The superdense phase of the plasma sheet is found to be a common feature of high-speed-stream-driven storms, commencing before the onset of the storm and persisting for about 1 day into the storm. A separate phenomenon, the extra-hot phase of the plasma sheet, commences at storm onset and persists for several days during the storm. The superdense plasma sheet originates from the high-density compressed slow and fast solar wind of the corotating interaction region on the leading edge of the high-speed stream. Tracking the motion of this dense plasma into and through the magnetosphere, plasma transport times are estimated. Transport from the nightside of the dipole to the dayside requires about 10 h. The occurrences of both the superdense plasma sheet and the extra-hot plasma sheet have broad implications for the physics of geomagnetic storms.     

Magnetic flux evolution inside and outside a polar coronal hole based on data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

This paper presents the analysis results of the magnetic flux inside and outside a polar coronal hole in the north during the period August 1?C2, 2010. The location of the polar coronal hole is determined from Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) images in the Fe XII, XXIV (193 ?) line, obtained by an Atmospheric Imager Assembly (AIA) of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Magnetic data are represented by the line-of-sight component of the magnetic field strength, measured with an Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). Both data sets are sampled at an interval of 720 s and are remapped onto a Carrington coordinate grid with a resolution of 0.001 in sine latitude and 0.1 degree in longitude. The preliminary results show a magnetic flux of the new cycle??s polarity (positive polarity in the north) appearing inside the coronal hole on a time scale of several hours. This ??new flux?? does not correlate with the magnetic flux of the old solar cycle (negative polarity in the north).     

太阳风压力系数的研究

利用全球磁流体力学(MHD)的模拟结果,研究了太阳风压力系数与上游太阳风参数和日下点磁层顶张角的相关性.在识别出日下点附近磁层顶位置后,通过拟合得到日下点附近的磁层顶张角.在考虑上游太阳风中的磁压和热压以及磁层顶外侧的太阳风动压的情况下,计算了太阳风压力系数.通过分析行星际磁场不同方向时太阳风动压在日地连线上与磁压和热压的转化关系,详细研究了太阳风参数和日下点磁层顶张角对太阳风压力系数的影响,得到以下相关结论:(1) 在北向行星际磁场较大(B_z≥5 nT)时,磁层顶外侧磁压占主导,南向行星际磁场时磁层顶外侧热压占主导;(2) 太阳风压力系数随着行星际磁场的增大而增大,随着行星际磁场时钟角的增大而减小;并且在行星际磁场大小和其他太阳风条件相同时,北向行星际磁场时的太阳风压力系数要大于南向行星际磁场时的;北向行星际磁场时,太阳风压力系数随着太阳风动压的增大而减小,南向行星际磁场时,太阳风压力系数随着太阳风动压的增大而增大;以上结论是对观测结果的扩展;(3) 最后,我们还发现太阳风压力系数随着日下点磁层顶张角的增大而增大.     

模拟IMF北向且By分量占主导时磁层顶重联

本文基于自己开发的全球三维磁层模型, 模拟研究了IMF(Interplanetary Magnetic Field)北向并且B_y分量较大(时钟角为60°)时磁层顶三维结构及其重联图像. 结果发现, IMF B_y为正时, 在北极隙区附近尾-昏侧存在IMF与地磁场之间稳定持续的重联现象;参与重联的地球磁场既有闭合磁力线也有开放磁力线;IMF在北极隙区与地球闭合磁力重联后一端与南磁极相连的磁力线在尾向运动时还可能与北尾瓣的开放磁力线重联而重新闭合, 这种重联与磁力线循环过程不同于同一条IMF磁力线分别在南北半球与地磁场重联的模型. 南极隙区的重联发生在尾-晨侧, 其动力学过程与北极隙区情形类似. 我们的模拟结果表明, IMF B_y较大时不可能发生IMF同一条磁力线分别在南北极隙区重联的情形, 也不会因此而减少尾瓣的开放磁力线.