Interaction between the interstellar medium and solar wind plasma

The interaction processes governing the penetration of the interstellar gas into the solar neighbourhood are re-examined — as well as photo-ionization and charge-exchange processes, proton elastic collisions and electron ionizations help reduce the nearby gas densities. The total destruction rate varies little during the solar cycle, by perhaps 10%. Particle heating, particularly via the elastic collisions, determines the gas characteristics in the gravitationally focussed tail—enhanced H-density is prevented, while the He-tail is effectively hotter than 10³ K.Termination of the solar wind is rediscussed in the light of both electron heating and the stronger gas/plasma interaction. The spiral interplanetary field is taken to break up and the subsonic plasma flow to be controlled by the pressure of slowly cooling electrons. The terminating collisionless shock is then, if it exists at all, very weak (M ₁<1.4), subcritical, and energetically unimportant. Cosmic rays are little affected by this sonic transition, but at least the electron component should be modulated by plasma turbulence throughout the ionizing flow.

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A model of the solar atmosphere and wind

Using a combination of solar and interplanetary measurements, a topological model is developed of the overall magnetic and plasma structures.

The delay between solar activity and density changes in the upper atmosphere

Since 1958 it is known that there exists a response time of the upper atmosphere to changes in solar activity. This response time is best described as the lag between the 27-day variation of solar decimeter flux and the observed density changes of the upper atmosphere. Roemer obtained as a mean observational value for this lag 1.0 ± 0.12 days. Volland's simplified version of the Harris-Priester model of the upper atmosphere is used to calculate the delay which can be expected from theory. Only the effect of solar EUV radiation is taken into account. A possible influence of the corpuscular component of the solar radiation is not included in our estimate.

The calculations are carried out for the Harris-Priester model with solar activity index and a variation of . The resulting delay is 0.6 days. The calculated amplitude of the variations of the diurnal average temperatures during the solar 27-days cycle is in very good agreement with Jacchia's empirical formula.     

Predicted electrical conductivity between 0 and 80 km in the Venusian atmosphere

Calculations of the space charge, ion density, and conductivity in the Venus atmosphere were made. The presence of the cloud particles on Venus causes a profound reduction in the calculated values of the ion density and conductivity compared to the values that are obtained without consideration of the cloud particles. When the cloud particles are included in the calculations, the results for the ion density and conductivity are approximately the same as those of the terrestrial atmosphere at the same pressure-altitude. Because the particles span such a large range of sizes and are abundant over a substantial range of pressure, the space charge varies strongly with altitude and particle size. Differential settling of the particles is expected to produce weak electric fields in the clouds.     

Effects of solar variations on the upper atmosphere

Several semi-empirical models of the terrestrial upper atmosphere are presently available. These models take into account solar activity effects by using the solar decimetric flux as an index. Such a procedure is a consequence of the lack of continuous determinations of the solar spectrum directly responsible for the physical structure of the upper atmosphere. Variations of the thermopause temperature are discussed. Using five sets of solar irradiances measured in the ultraviolet and in the extreme ultraviolet, the penetration of solar radiation is analyzed as a function of solar activity. Several examples of absorption profiles and ion production rates are discussed for variable conditions. Various energetic effects are also described. All computations are made for physical conditions above Scheveningen (52.08° N) where the 14th ESLAB symposium was held.Proceedings of the 14th ESLAB Symposium on Physics of Solar Variations, 16–19 September 1980, Scheveningen, The Netherlands.     

Nonlinear interaction between Alfvén and acoustic-gravity waves in the solar atmosphere

Based on a plane-parallel isothermal model solar atmosphere permeated by a uniform magnetic field directed against the action of gravity, we considered the nonlinear interaction between vertically propagating Alfvén and acoustic-gravity waves. We established that Alfvén waves are efficiently generated at the difference and sum frequencies. We ascertained that no acoustic-gravity waves are formed at the corresponding combination frequencies. A horizontal magnetohydrodynamic wind whose direction changes with height was found to be formed in the solar atmosphere at zero difference frequency.     

Hard X-ray emission of the Earth's atmosphere: Monte Carlo simulations

We perform Monte Carlo simulations of cosmic ray-induced hard X-ray radiation from the Earth's atmosphere. We find that the shape of the spectrum emergent from the atmosphere in the energy range 25–300 keV is mainly determined by Compton scatterings and photoabsorption, and is almost insensitive to the incident cosmic ray spectrum. We provide a fitting formula for the hard X-ray surface brightness of the atmosphere as would be measured by a satellite-borne instrument, as a function of energy, solar modulation level, geomagnetic cut-off rigidity and zenith angle. A recent measurement by the INTEGRAL observatory of the atmospheric hard X-ray flux during the occultation of the cosmic X-ray background by the Earth agrees with our prediction within 10 per cent. This suggests that Earth observations could be used for in-orbit calibration of future hard X-ray telescopes. We also demonstrate that the hard X-ray spectra generated by cosmic rays in the crusts of the Moon, Mars and Mercury should be significantly different from that emitted by the Earth's atmosphere.     

One type of three-wave interaction of low-frequency waves in magnetoactive plasma of the solar atmosphere

We study the process of occurrence of “quasi-mode” decay instability of kinetic Alfven waves (KAW) in the chromosphere of a solar active region before a flare, namely, in plasma of magnetic loops near their footpoints. The decay of a primary KAW into a kinetic ion-acoustic wave and a secondary KAW was considered as a specific type of three-wave interaction. Necessary conditions for the KAW decay instability occurrence were found for two semiempirical models of the solar atmosphere with the use of a modified expression for the growth rate of instability in the case of nonlinear interaction of low-frequency waves with an abnormally low excitation threshold. It was shown that the main criteria for the development of this instability significantly depend on the amplitude of external magnetic field in the region under study as well as on a model of the solar atmosphere.     

Photoelectrons and solar wind/lunar limb interaction

It is suggested that boundary conditions for solar wind/lunar limb interactions are active. The whole-Moon limb does not evoke a shock cone because warm (13 eV/electron) solar wind electrons are replaced by cool (2 eV/electron) photoelectrons that are ejected from the generally smooth areas of the lunar terminator illuminated at glazing angles by the Sun. A localized volume of low thermal pressure is created in the solar wind by these cool photoelectrons. The solar wind expands into this turbulence-suppressive volume without shock production. Conversely, directly illuminated highland areas exchange hot photoelectrons (> 20 eV/electron) for warm solar wind electrons. The hot electrons generate a localized pressure increase (p) in the adjacent solar wind flow which evokes a shock streamer in the solar wind. Shock streamers are identifiable by a coincident increase in the magnitude (B p) of the solar wind magnetic field immediately external to the lunar wake. Shock occurrence is controlled by lunar topography, solar activity in the hard ultraviolet (> 20 eV), solar wind electron density and thermal velocity, and the intensity of the solar wind magnetic field.Paper dedicated to Professor Harold C. Urey on the occasion of his 80th birthday on 29 April 1973.The Lunar Science Institute is operated by the Universities Space Research Association under Contract No. NSR 09-051-001 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.     

Thermal properties of the solar wind plasma

In the solar wind, electrostatic ion cyclotron waves can be excited by electrons when the flow velocity becomes supersonic. The waves reduce the proton temperature anisotropy and heat the protons effectively. Temperature equations for T _e ,T _p and T _p are solved numerically in the region from 1 AU to the Sun, with the non-thermal proton heating rate included as a parameter. Distributions of T _e ,T _p , T _p and the proton heating rate are determined and found to be in good agreement with the proton heating rate expected from the linear growth rate of electrostatic ion cyclotron waves. The electron thermal conductivity is reduced approximately 2–3 times smaller than the usual collisional one due to the plasma wave instabilities. Effective energy exchange rates from proton-proton and electron-proton interactions are 1–10 and 10–100 times larger than the Coulomb collision rates v ppand v ep,respectively.     

Relative contributions of sublimation and volcanoes to Io's atmosphere inferred from its plasma interaction during solar eclipse

We present a model that describes Io's delayed electrodynamic response to a temporal change in Io's atmosphere. Our model incorporates the relevant physical processes involved in Io's atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere electrodynamic interaction to predict the far-ultraviolet (FUV) radiation as Io enters Jupiter's shadow and re-emerges into sunlight. The predicted FUV brightnesses are highly nonlinear as the strength of the electrodynamic interaction depends on the ratios of ionospheric conductances to the torus Alfvén conductance, but the former are functions of electrodynamics and the atmospheric density, which decays rapidly upon entering eclipse. Key factors governing the time evolution are the column density due to sublimation and the column density due to volcanoes, which maintain the background atmosphere during eclipse. The plasma interaction does not react instantaneously, but lags to a temporarily changing atmosphere. We find three qualitatively different scenarios with two of them including a post-eclipse brightening. The brightness ratio of in-sunlight/in-eclipse coupled with the existence of a sub-jovian equatorial spot constrains the volcanic column density to several times 10¹⁸ m⁻², based on the currently available observations. Thus in sunlight, the sublimation driven part of Io's atmosphere dominates the volcanically driven contribution by roughly a factor of 10 or more.     

Whistler wave cascades in solar wind plasma

Non-linear, three-dimensional, time-dependent fluid simulations of whistler wave turbulence are performed to investigate role of whistler waves in solar wind plasma turbulence in which characteristic turbulent fluctuations are characterized typically by the frequency and length-scales that are, respectively, bigger than ion gyrofrequency and smaller than ion gyroradius. The electron inertial length is an intrinsic length-scale in whistler wave turbulence that distinguishably divides the high-frequency solar wind turbulent spectra into scales smaller and bigger than the electron inertial length. Our simulations find that the dispersive whistler modes evolve entirely differently in the two regimes. While the dispersive whistler wave effects are stronger in the large-scale regime, they do not influence the spectral cascades which are describable by a Kolmogorov-like   k ^−7/3  spectrum. By contrast, the small-scale turbulent fluctuations exhibit a Navier–Stokes-like evolution where characteristic turbulent eddies exhibit a typical   k ^−5/3  hydrodynamic turbulent spectrum. By virtue of equipartition between the wave velocity and magnetic fields, we quantify the role of whistler waves in the solar wind plasma fluctuations.     

A coupling between solar wind and ionosphere

Relationships between the velocity of the solar wind and the electron density of the F2-layer are shown. A significant correlation-coefficient is found only forday-time data. Typical storm phenomena occur with high wind velocities.     

Peculiarities of convective motions in the upper solar atmosphere. I

A convective field of intensities and velocities between the levels of continuum origination and the temperature minimum is investigated based on spectral observations of iron lines performed near the center of the solar disc using the 70-cm German vacuum tower telescope (VTT) located at del Teide observatory of the Institute of Astrophysics on the Canaries (Tenerife island). Convective elements in the process of their upward and downward motion change with height not only the sign of the relative contrast but also the direction of motion. The height at which this reversal occurs strongly depends on the velocity and contrast of the convective elements which they had at the level of continuous spectrum formation. On average, the reversal of the velocity takes place at the height of 240 ± 130 km, and that of the contrast occur at the height of 200 ± 65 km.     

The interaction of the solar wind with a comet

The flow of plasma on the sunward side of a comet is investigated by means of an axialsymmetric model based on hydrodynamics modified by source terms. The model assumes a given curvature of the isobaric surfaces, which corresponds to paraboloids around the nucleus of the comet. The flow on the axis can be represented by a solution of a system of seven ordinary differential equations (respectively five in case of pure photo-ionization). The flow pattern always contains a widely detached bow shock and a contact discontinuity separating a cavity with purely cometary plasma from the transition region containing also solar wind ions. The model is applied to the special case where the cometary gas is ionized by the solar UV radiation only. Numerical solutions are integrated for five levels of production of neutral gas by the comet and for seven typical situations in the undisturbed solar wind. The results imply standoff distances of the stagnation point from the nucleus of the order of 10 000 km or more, and distances of the bow shock of the order of 10⁶–10⁷ km.     

Global distribution of helium in the upper atmosphere during solar minimum

Helium in the Earth's thermosphere traces the dynamical systems that redistribute energy and mass. Measurements of the global helium distribution in the thermosphere, using Atmosphere Explorer satellite C. (AE-C), show a gradual seasonal change in the number density of helium for all latitudes. The enhancement in helium over the winter pole (the helium bulge) changes in magnitude slowly as seasons progress. The bulge builds and recedes following the progression of winter North to South and back again. This progression of the winter helium enhancement is presented in this paper using latitudinal profiles of helium number density for each month during the year. The absolute magnitude of the winter helium enhancement in the auroral regions is affected by auroral heating at low altitudes. The reduction in the winter helium bulge at low altitudes shown in AE-C data can be traced to this localized heating. The gradual variation in helium concentration measured at many latitudes for all seasons of the year implies that global thermospheric wind systems change gradually with the seasons.     

High-resolution calculations of asteroid impacts into the Venusian atmosphere.

We present results from a number of 2D high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations of asteroids striking the atmosphere of Venus. These cover a wide range of impact parameters (velocity, size, and incidence angle), but the focus is on 2-3 km diameter asteroids, as these are responsible for most of the impact craters on Venus. Asteroids in this size range are disintegrated, ablated, and significantly decelerated by the atmosphere, yet they retain enough impetus to make large craters when they meet the surface. We find that smaller impactors (diameter <1-2 km) are better described by a "pancaking" model in which the impactor is compressed and distorted, while for larger impactors (>2-3 km) fragmentation by mechanical ablation is preferred. The pancaking model has been modified to take into account effects of hydrodynamical instabilities. The general observation that most larger impactors disintegrate by shedding fragments generated from hydrodynamic instabilities spurs us to develop a simple heuristic model of the mechanical ablation of fragments based on the growth rates of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities. Although in principle the model has many free parameters, most of these have little effect provided that they are chosen reasonably. In practice the range of model behavior can be described with one free parameter. The resulting model reproduces the mass and momentum fluxes rather well, doing so with reasonable values of all physical parameters.     

Observations of penetrated solar wind plasma elements in the plasma mantle

PROGNOZ-7 observations of intense “magnetosheath-like” plasma deep inside the high latitude boundary layer, the plasma mantle, indicates that solar wind plasma elements may occasionally penetrate the magnetopause and form high density regions in the plasma mantle. These “magnetosheath-like” regions are usually associated with strong flow of solar wind ions (e.g. H⁺ and He²⁺) and the presence of terrestrial ions (e.g. O⁺). The magnetosheath-like structures may roughly be classified as “newly injected” or “stagnant”. The newly injected structures have characteristics very similar to those found in the magnetosheath, i.e. strong antisunward flow and magnetosheath ion composition and density. The magnetic field characteristics may, however, differ considerably from those found further out in the magnetosheath. The “stagnant” structures are characterized by a reduced plasma flow, a lower density and a different ion composition as compared to that in the magnetosheath. In a few cases newly injected structures were even found in the innermost part of the mantle (i.e. forming a “boundary region” adjacent to the lobe). These cases were also associated with fairly strong fluxes of O⁺ ions in the outer mantle. Whilst the newly injected type of magnetosheath-like structure contained almost no O⁺ ions, the stagnant regions were intermixed by an appreciable amount of ionospheric ions. The newly injected and stagnant penetration regions had both in common a diamagnetic decrease of the ambient magnetic field. The newly injected structures, however, were also associated with a considerable reorientation of the magnetic field vector. A common feature for penetration regions well separated from the magnetopause is that they are mainly observed for a southward IMF. A third category of plasma mantle penetrated events, denoted “open magnetopause” events, usually occurred when the IMF was away and northward. Characteristics for these events were a smooth transition/rotation of the magnetic field vector near the magnetopause, and fairly high ion densities in the mantle and the transition region.     

On the role of plasma parameters and the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a viscous interaction of solar wind streams

We examine a mechanism for breaking down solar wind (SW) speed shears within 1 astronomical unit (a.u.), initiated by the development of the Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instability for typical parameters of the plasma and magnetic field in the interplanetary medium. A semi-empirical SW model has been invoked to derive a distribution of the plasma parameters β = 8πP/B² and M_A² = (ρν²/2)/(B²/8π) between the Sun and 1 a.u. It is shown that in the vicinity of the Sun, up to heliocentric distances r ≈ 0.1 a.u., the parameters β ? 1, and M²_A ? 1 and therefore the magnetic field here may be considered a very strong one. Because of the stabilizing effect of the magnetic field the K-H instability in this region does not develop and a presence of great shears in SW speed with large velocity gradients is possible here.At distances r > 0.1 a.u. the parameters β ? 1, and M²_A > 1. Examination of a variety of SW speed profiles showed that the presence of plasma flow velocity shears in this region leads to an excitation of the K-H instability. Numerical analysis results indicate that a principal role in the excitation of this instability is played by oblique waves that propagate at an angle α ≈ 45° to the stream velocity vector.The question of the evolution of the leading front of a high speed SW streams within 1 a.u. is discussed, with a proper account of the influence of competing effects of kinematic steepening and turbulent viscosity, the latter being due to the development of the K-H instability. It is shown that the turbulent viscosity effect in this region is substantial and is capable of ensuring an expansion of the leading front of the high speed SW stream as this moves from 0.3 to 1 a.u., in agreement with experimental evidence reported by Rosenbauer et al. (1977).     

The solar wind interaction with comet P/Grigg-Skjellerup

The Giotto spacecraft is scheduled to intercept comet P/Grigg-Skjellerup on July 10, 1992. The observed outgassing rate of this comet is over an order of magnitude smaller than comet Giacobini-Zinner and over two orders of magnitude smaller than that of comet Halley. Consequently, the new data obtained during the upcoming encounter will strengthen our understanding of how the solar wind interaction with comets depends upon the neutral gas production rate. In this brief note, we make predictions of the location of the flow transition regions — i.e., the bow shock and the ionopause, and discuss the expected level of wave turbulence.