The February 1986 solar activity: A comparison of GIOTTO,VEGA-1, and IMP-8 solar wind measurements with MHD simulations

Large disturbances in the interplanetary medium were observed by several spacecraft during a period of enhanced solar activity in early February 1986. The locations of six solar flares and the spacecraft considered here encompassed more than 100° of heliolongitude. These flares during the minimum of cycle 21 set the stage for an extensive multi-spacecraft comparison performed with a two-dimensional, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical experiment. The plasma instruments on the European Space Agency (ESA)'s GIOTTO spacecraft, on its way to encounter Comet Halley in March 1986, made measurements of the solar wind for up to 8 hours per day during February. We compare solar wind measurements from the Johnstone Plasma Analyzer (JPA) experiment on GIOTTO with the MHD simulation of the interplanetary medium throughout these events. Using plasma data obtained by the IMP-8 satellite in addition, it appears that an extended period of high solar wind speed is required as well as the simulated flares to represent the interplanetary medium in this case. We also compare the plasma and magnetometer data from VEGA-1 with the MHD simulation. This comparison tends to support an interpretation that the major solar wind changes at both GIOTTO and VEGA-1 on 8 February, 1986 were due to a shock from a W05° solar flare on 6 February, 1986 (06:25 UT). The numerical experiment is considered, qualitatively, to resemble the observations at the former spacecraft, but it has less success at the latter one.     

Sun,earth and sky

The Sun is enveloped by a hot, tenuous million-degree corona that expands to create a continuous solar wind that sweeps past all the planets and fills the heliosphere. The solar wind is modulated by strong gusts that are initiated by powerful explosions on the Sun, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections. This dynamic, invisible outer atmosphere of the Sun is currently under observation with the soft X-ray telescope aboard the Yohkoh spacecraft, whose results are presented. We also show observations from the Ulysses spacecraft that is now passing over the solar pole, sampling the solar wind in this region for the first time. Two other spacecraft, Voyager 1 and 2, have recently detected the outer edge of the invisible heliosphere, roughly halfway to the nearest star. Magnetic solar activity, the total radiative output from the Sun, and the Earth's mean global surface temperature all vary with the 11-year sunspot cycle in which the total number of sunspots varies from a maximum to a minimum and back to a maximum again in about 11 years. The terrestrial magnetic field hollows out a protective magnetic cavity, called the magnetosphere, within the solar wind. This protection is incomplete, however, so the Sun feeds an unseen world of high-speed particles and magnetic fields that encircle the Earth in space. These particles endanger spacecraft and astronauts, and also produce terrestrial aurorae. An international flotilla of spacecraft is now sampling the weak points in this magnetic defense. Similar spacecraft have also discovered a new radiation belt, in addition to the familiar Van Allen belts, except fed by interstellar ions instead of electrons and protons from the Sun.     

On the overtaking interaction of typical shock waves in the solar wind flow

The interaction of traveling fast solar shock waves with other fast shock waves generated previously is considered in terms of magnetohydrodynamics for various solar wind parameters. The shocks are not piston ones and move freely in the flow. The magnetic structure in the interplanetary magnetic field emerging after the shock interaction is shown to correspond to the well-known magnetic configuration commonly observed on spacecraft or the classical Hundhausen R model. A head-on collision of solar shock waves with the boundary of a magnetic cloud is considered. It is pointed out that a slow shockwave refracted into the magnetic cloud can appear at an oblique collision of the shock with the cloud boundary. The results clarify our understanding of the available spacecraft data.     

The DynaMICCS perspective

The DynaMICCS mission is designed to probe and understand the dynamics of crucial regions of the Sun that determine solar variability, including the previously unexplored inner core, the radiative/convective zone interface layers, the photosphere/chromosphere layers and the low corona. The mission delivers data and knowledge that no other known mission provides for understanding space weather and space climate and for advancing stellar physics (internal dynamics) and fundamental physics (neutrino properties, atomic physics, gravitational moments...). The science objectives are achieved using Doppler and magnetic measurements of the solar surface, helioseismic and coronographic measurements, solar irradiance at different wavelengths and in-situ measurements of plasma/energetic particles/magnetic fields. The DynaMICCS payload uses an original concept studied by Thalès Alenia Space in the framework of the CNES call for formation flying missions: an external occultation of the solar light is obtained by putting an occulter spacecraft 150 m (or more) in front of a second spacecraft. The occulter spacecraft, a LEO platform of the mini sat class, e.g. PROTEUS, type carries the helioseismic and irradiance instruments and the formation flying technologies. The latter spacecraft of the same type carries a visible and infrared coronagraph for a unique observation of the solar corona and instrumentation for the study of the solar wind and imagers. This mission must guarantee long (one 11-year solar cycle) and continuous observations (duty cycle > 94%) of signals that can be very weak (the gravity mode detection supposes the measurement of velocity smaller than 1 mm/s). This assumes no interruption in observation and very stable thermal conditions. The preferred orbit therefore is the L1 orbit, which fits these requirements very well and is also an attractive environment for the spacecraft due to its low radiation and low perturbation (solar pressure) environment. This mission is secured by instrumental R and D activities during the present and coming years. Some prototypes of different instruments are already built (GOLFNG, SDM) and the performances will be checked before launch on the ground or in space through planned missions of CNES and PROBA ESA missions (PICARD, LYRA, maybe ASPIICS).     

The magnetohydrodynamic turbulent cascade in the ecliptic solar wind: Study of Ulysses data

The occurrence of a nonlinear turbulent energy cascade in solar wind plasma has been recently established through the observation of an exact law from spacecraft measurements. The main results obtained in the fast, polar wind measured by Ulysses spacecraft are reviewed here. In particular, the turbulent cascade is seen as the mean to provide the energy necessary for the local heating in the non-adiabatic expansion of the solar wind. The importance of the density fluctuations in enhancing the turbulent energy transport is also evidenced. The ecliptic wind data measured by Ulysses are studied here in the same framework. This has been done by separating fast and slow streams, in order to avoid mixing of different physical conditions. The results further support the need for separate analysis of the two types of wind.     

On the direct observation of cosmic-ray energy losses

During the decay of solar cosmic-ray events cosmic-rays with kinetic energies of about 1 MeV are convected outward with the solar wind. It is shown that, with currently available observations it should be possible to demonstrate directly the energy losses which are occurring. Observations from two spacecraft on the same heliocentric radial line are required. In this paper observations from Venera-4 and Imp-F have been used. A simple and direct demonstration would be provided by the observation of nearly mono-energetic pulses convected between the two spacecraft, but no such pulses were found to be present. A second method depends upon observing the ratio of the integral fluxes at the two spacecraft and comparing this with the value predicted by theory. The relevant theoretical analysis has been given. It is shown that in order to discriminate between energy-loss processes the spacecraft must be well separated. For spacecraft at Earth's orbit and the orbit of Venus the integral-flux ratio predicted with energy loss due to adiabatic deceleration is a factor of three higher than that predicted with no energy loss. Comparisons of integral-flux ratios for two events observed on spacecraft separated by approximately 0.1 AU gave inconclusive results. In view of the importance of energy-loss processes in the propagation of cosmic rays it is suggested that others with access to relevant data might continue this investigation.     

Solar neutrino flux,cosmic rays,and the solar activity cycle

It is suggested that the experimental data on the solar neutrino flux as measured by Davis and his collaborators from 1970 to 1982 vary with the solar activity cycle to a very high level of statistical significance for all the available tests of the hypothesis (e.g., (t-test, ²-test, run test, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test) when the solar neutrino flux data are computed from the weighted moving averages of order 5. The above tests have also been applied to the data that have been generated by the Monte Carlo simulation with production rate and background rate parameters that are typical of those in the actual experiment. It is shown that the Monte Carlo simulated data do not indicate a variation within the solar cycle. Thus the moving average data strongly favours the variation within the solar activity cycle.     

Evidence of Magnetic Flux Ropes in the Solar Wind From Sigmoidal and non-Sigmoidal Active Regions

We have examined WIND magnetic field and plasma data during the first half of 1998 in order to find encounters of this spacecraft with magnetic clouds. From the events obtained through this search, we have selected four of them taking into account their solar origin. The four magnetic clouds are related to halo or partial halo CMEs, but the morphology of the active region before the eruption is sigmoidal for three of them and non-sigmoidal for the other one. We have analyzed these events in the solar wind by fitting the experimental data to a non-force-free flux-rope model. We conclude that both kinds of active regions develop in the solar wind an ejection with a flux-rope topology.     

Fluctuations of energetic particle flux during solar cycle based on measurements in the solar wind,in the magnetosphere,and at Earth

We present the results of our studies of the cosmic-ray fluctuations in the frequency range 10⁻⁴−1.67 × 10⁻³ Hz based on energetic particle flux measurements on spacecraft in the solar wind, in the magnetosphere, and at Earth in the 11-year solar cycle. The cosmic-ray fluctuation spectrum is shown to have an 11-year modulation related to the solar cycle. A different behavior of the level of energetic particle fluctuations measured in different regions of space is observed for cosmic rays of different origins. We conclude that the new, previously unknown phenomenon of 11-year modulation of the cosmic-ray fluctuation spectrum has been established. A possible explanation of this phenomenon is given.     

Solar irradiance below 120 nm and its variations

The solar irradiance below 120 nm was first predicted by astronomers. Since its accurate measurement required the solution of a variety of technological problems, little is known about the variability before 1972, though for more than two decades data have been collected. Therefore, on a quantitative basis only a very rough picture can be given for the solar cycle 19. Also, not enough data with sufficient absolute accuracy are available to describe the solar EUV flux variations of the solar cycle 20, especially during the period of solar maximum. However, due to technological improvements of space and laboratory instrumentations, an almost complete set of data has been obtained from 1972 to date. These observations exhibit strong differences of the flux variations from solar cycle 20 to 21. - For the theoretical and for semi-empirical treatments of many aeronomic processes controlled by the solar EUV radiation, its adequate representation e.g. as indices is required. The problems involved and possible solutions are discussed. Results from some relevant aeronomically oriented computations based on variable solar EUV fluxes are presented.Proceedings of the 14th ESLAB Symposium on Physics of Solar Variations, 16–19 September 1980, Scheveningen, The Netherlands.     

Hysteresis,time lag,and relation between solar activity and cosmic rays during solar cycle 24

We study galactic cosmic ray (GCR) modulation during solar cycle 24. For this study we utilize neutron monitor data together with sunspot number (SSN) and 10.7 cm solar radio flux (SRF) data. We plot hysteresis curve between the GCR intensity and SSN, and GCR intensity and SRF. We performed time-lag correlation analysis to determine the time lag between GCR intensity and solar activity parameters. The time lag is determined not only for the whole solar cycle, but also during the two polarity states of the heliosphere (A<0 and A>0) in solar cycle 24. We notice differences in time lags during two polarity epochs of the solar cycle. We discuss these differences in the light of existing modulation models. We compare the results of this very weak solar activity cycle with the corresponding results reported for the previous comparatively more active solar cycles.     

Scientific Analysis within SEPServer – New Perspectives in Solar Energetic Particle Research: The Case Study of the 13 July 2005 Event

Solar energetic particle (SEP) events are a key ingredient of solar?Cterrestrial physics both for fundamental research and space weather applications. Multi-satellite observations are an important and incompletely exploited tool for studying the acceleration and the coronal and interplanetary propagation of the particles. While STEREO uses for this diagnostic two identical sets of instrumentation, there are many earlier observations carried out with different spacecraft. It is the aim of the SEPServer project to make these data and analysis tools available to a broad user community. The consortium will carry out data-driven analysis and simulation-based data analysis capable of deconvolving the effects of interplanetary transport and solar injection from SEP observations, and will compare the results with the electromagnetic signatures. The tools and results will be provided on the web server of the project in order to facilitate further analysis by the research community. This paper describes the data products and analysis strategies with one specific event, the case study of 13 July 2005. The release time of protons and electrons are derived using data-driven and simulation-based analyses, and compared with hard X-ray and radio signatures. The interconnection of the experimental and the simulation-based results are discussed in detail.     

Numerical simulations of solar energetic particle event timescales associated with ICMEs

Recently,S.W.Kahler studied the timescales of solar energetic particle(SEP) events associated with coronal mass ejections(CMEs) from analysis of spacecraft data.They obtained different timescales for SEP events,such as TO,the onset time from CME launch to SEP onset,TR,the rise time from onset to half the peak intensity(0.5I_p),and TD,the duration of the SEP intensity above 0.5I_p.In this work,we solve the transport equation for SEPs considering interplanetary coronal mass ejection(ICME) shocks as energetic particle sources.With our modeling assumptions,our simulations show similar results to Kahler's analysis of spacecraft data,that the weighted average of TD increases with both CME speed and width.Moreover,from our simulation results,we suggest TD is directly dependent on CME speed,but not dependent on CME width,which were not found in the analysis of observational data.     

Modeling Total Solar Irradiance with San Fernando Observatory Ground-Based Photometry: Comparison with ACRIM, PMOD, and RMIB Composites

We model total solar irradiance (TSI) using photometric irradiance indices from the San Fernando Observatory (SFO), and compare our model with measurements compiled from different space-based radiometers. Space-based measurements of TSI have been obtained recently from ACRIM-3 on board the ACRIMSAT. These data have been combined with other data sets to create an ACRIM-based composite. From VIRGO on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft two different TSI composites have been developed. The VIRGO irradiance data have been combined by the Davos group to create a composite often referred to as PMOD (Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos). Also using data from VIRGO, the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (RMIB) has created a separate composite TSI referred to here as the RMIB composite. We also report on comparisons with TSI data from the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) experiment on board the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) spacecraft. The SFO model correlates well with all four experiments during the seven-year SORCE interval. For this interval, the squared correlation coefficient R ² was 0.949 for SORCE, 0.887 for ACRIM, 0.922 for PMOD, and 0.924 for RMIB. Long-term differences between the PMOD, ACRIM, and RMIB composites become apparent when we examine a 21.5-year interval. We demonstrate that ground-based photometry, by accurately removing TSI variations caused by solar activity, is useful for understanding the differences that exist between TSI measurements from different spacecraft experiments.     

Corotational Tomography of Heliospheric Features Using Global Thomson Scattering Data

The Air Force/NASA Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) will provide two-dimensional images of the sky in visible light with high (0.1%) photometric precision, and unprecedented sky coverage and cadence. To optimize the information available from these images they must be interpreted in three dimensions. We have developed a Computer Assisted Tomography (CAT) technique that fits a three-dimensional kinematic heliospheric model to remotely-sensed Thomson scattering observations. This technique is designed specifically to determine the corotating background solar wind component from data provided by instruments like SMEI. Here, we present results from this technique applied to the Helios spacecraft photometer observations. The tomography program iterates to a least-squares solution of observed brightnesses using solar rotation, spacecraft motion and solar wind outflow to provide perspective views of each point in space covered by the observations. The corotational tomography described here is essentially the same as used by Jackson et al. (1998) for the analysis of interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations. While IPS observations are related indirectly to the solar wind density through an assumed (and uncertain) relationship between small-scale density fluctuations and density, Thomson scattering physics is more straightforward, i.e., the observed brightness depends linearly on the solar wind density everywhere in the heliosphere. Consequently, Thomson scattering tomography can use a more direct density-convergence criterion to match observed Helios photometer brightness to brightness calculated from the model density. The general similarities between results based on IPS and Thomson scattering tomography validate both techniques and confirm that both observe the same type of solar wind structures. We show results for Carrington rotation 1653 near solar minimum. We find that longitudinally segmented dense structures corotate with the Sun and emanate from near the solar equator. We discuss the locations of these dense structures with respect to the heliospheric current sheet and regions of activity on the solar surface.     

Diurnal variations of cosmic rays during a solar magnetic cycle

We have used data from five neutron monitor stations with primary rigidity (Rm) ranging from 16 GeV to 33 GeV to study the diurnal variations of cosmic rays over the period: 1965–1986 covering one 22-year solar magnetic cycle. The heliosphere interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and plasma hourly measurements taken near Earth orbit, by a variety of spacecraft, are also used to compare with the results of solar diurnal variation. The local time of maximum of solar diurnal diurnal variations displays a 22-year cycle due to the solar polar magnetic field polarities. In general, the annual mean of solar diurnal amplitudes, magnitude of IMF and plasma parameters are found to show separte solar cycle variations. Moreover, during the declining period of the twenty and twenty-ne solar cycles, large solar diurnal amplitudes are observed which associated with high values of solar wind speed, plasma temperature and interplanetary magnetic field magnitude B3.     

Initial Venus Express magnetic field observations of the Venus bow shock location at solar minimum

In this study, magnetic field measurements obtained by the Venus Express spacecraft are used to determine the bow shock position at solar minimum. The best fit of bow shock location from solar zenith angle 20-120° gives a terminator bow shock location of 2.14 R_V (1 R_V=6052 km) which is 1600 km closer to Venus than the 2.40 R_V determined during solar maximum conditions, a clear indication of the solar cycle variation of the Venus bow shock location. The best fit to the subsolar bow shock is 1.32 R_V, with the bow shock completely detached. Finally, a global bow shock model at solar minimum is constructed based on our best-fit empirical bow shock in the sunlit hemisphere and an asymptotic limit of the distant bow shock which is a Mach cone under typical Mach number of 5.5 at solar minimum. We also describe our approach to making the measurements and processing the data in a challenging magnetic cleanliness environment. An initial evaluation of the accuracy of measurements shows that the data are of a quality comparable to magnetic field measurements made onboard magnetically clean spacecraft.     

First Results from SWAN Lyman α solar wind mapper on SOHO

After one year of almost flawless operation on board the SOHO spacecraft poised at L1 Lagrange point, we report the main features of SWAN observations. SWAN is mainly dedicated to the monitoring of the latitude distribution of the solar wind by the Lα method. Maps of sky Lα emissions were recorded througout the year. The region of maximum emission, located in the upwind hemisphere, deviates strongly from the pattern that could be expected from a solar wind constant with latitude. It is divided into two lobes by a depression aligned with the solar equatorial plane called the Lyα groove already noted in 1976 Prognoz data. The north lobe is much brighter than the south lobe. These two characteristics can be explained qualitatively by an enhanced ionization along the neutral sheet where the slow solar wind is concentrated, which results from the higher low-latitude solar wind mass flux as measured by Ulysses. The groove is the direct imprint on the sky of the enhanced carving by the slow solar wind, at this time of solar minimum, when the tilt angle of the neutral sheet is small. The question is still pending to predict what will happen with the ascending phase of the solar cycle. Observations of comets are briefly mentioned, with the ability of SWAN to monitor the H₂O production of many comets. Operations of the instrument are briefly described, including some instrumental problems which could be solved by software modifications sent to the instrument. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1004979605559     

Sharp Changes of Solar Wind Ion Flux and Density Within and Outside Current Sheets

Analysis of the Interball-1 spacecraft data (1995 – 2000) has shown that the solar wind ion flux sometimes increases or decreases abruptly by more than 20% over a time period of several seconds or minutes. Typically, the amplitude of such sharp changes in the solar wind ion flux (SCIFs) is larger than 0.5×10⁸ cm⁻² s⁻¹. These sudden changes of the ion flux were also observed by the Solar Wind Experiment (SWE), on board the Wind spacecraft, as the solar wind density increases and decreases with negligible changes in the solar wind velocity. SCIFs occur irregularly at 1 AU, when plasma flows with specific properties come to the Earth’s orbit. SCIFs are usually observed in slow, turbulent solar wind with increased density and interplanetary magnetic field strength. The number of times SCIFs occur during a day is simulated using the solar wind density, magnetic field, and their standard deviations as input parameters for a period of five years. A correlation coefficient of ∼0.7 is obtained between the modelled and the experimental data. It is found that SCIFs are not associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs), corotating interaction regions (CIRs), or interplanetary shocks; however, 85% of the sector boundaries are surrounded by SCIFs. The properties of the solar wind plasma for days with five or more SCIF observations are the same as those of the solar wind plasma at the sector boundaries. One possible explanation for the occurrence of SCIFs (near sector boundaries) is magnetic reconnection at the heliospheric current sheet or local current sheets. Other probable causes of SCIFs (inside sectors) are turbulent processes in the slow solar wind and at the crossings of flux tubes.     

Solar wind observations with the ion composition instrument aboard the ISEE-3/ICE spacecraft

In this paper we use the observations of solar wind helium ions made by the Ion Composition Instrument (ICI) on the ISEE-3/ICE spacecraft to study the variation of helium abundance in the solar wind and to arrive at an average value of that quantity for the period August 1978 to December 1982. The abundance varies in a similar way to that observed in the previous solar cycle, but more detailed dependence on velocity and solar cycle epoch is observed. The long-term average helium abundance is used in conjunction with long term abundances of ³He, O, Ne, Si, and Fe, measured with respect to helium using the same instrument, to compile abundances with respect to hydrogen which can be reliably compared with solar system abundances. With the extended data set we are able to show Si and Fe to be overabundant by a factor of three with respect to solar system abundances and He underabundant by a factor of two.