Low frequency spectra of type III solar radio bursts

Flux density spectra have been determined for ninety-one simple type III solar bursts observed by the Goddard Space Flight Center radio astronomy experiment on the IMP-6 spacecraft during 1971 and 1972. Spectral peaks were found to occur at frequencies ranging from 44 kHz up to 2500 kHz. Half of the bursts peaked between 250 kHz and 900 kHz, corresponding to emission at solar distances of about 0.3 to 0.1 AU. Maximum burst flux density sometimes exceeds 10^–14 W m^–2 Hz^–1. The primary factor controlling the spectral peak frequency of these bursts appears to be variation in intrinsic power radiated by the source as the exciter moves outward from the Sun, rather than radio propagation effects between the source and IMP-6. Thus, a burst spectrum strongly reflects the evolution of the properties of the exciting electron beam, and according to current theory, beam deceleration could help account for the observations.     

Tracing the Electron Density from the Corona to 1 au

We derive the electron density distribution in the ecliptic plane, from the corona to 1 AU, using observations from 13.8 MHz to a few kHz by the radio experiment WAVES aboard the spacecraft Wind. We concentrate on type III bursts whose trajectories intersect the spacecraft, as determined by the presence of burst-associated Langmuir waves, or by energetic electrons observed by the 3-D Plasma experiment. For these bursts we are able to determine the mode of emission, fundamental or harmonic, the electron density at 1 AU, the distance of emission regions along the spiral, and the time spent by the beams as they proceed from the low corona to 1 AU. For all of the bursts considered, the emission mode at burst onset was the fundamental; by contrast, in deriving many previous models, harmonic emission was assumed.By measuring the onset time of the burst at each frequency we are able to derive an electron density model all along the trajectory of the burst. Our density model, after normalizing the density at 1 AU to be ne(215 R0)=7.2 cm–3 (the average value at the minimum of solar activity when our measurements were made), is ne=3.3×105 r–2+4.1×106 r–4+8.0×107 r–6 cm–3, with r in units of R0. For other densities at 1 AU our result implies that the coefficients in the equation need to be multiplied by n _e (1 AU)/7.2.We compare this with existing models and those derived from direct, in-situ measurements (normalized to the same density at 1 AU) and find that it agrees very well with in-situ measurements and poorly with radio models based on apparent source positions or assumptions of the emission mode. One implication of our results is that isolated type III bursts do not usually propagate in dense regions of the corona and solar wind, as it is still sometimes assumed.     

Radio observations of interplanetary magnetic field structures out of the ecliptic

New observations of the out-of-the ecliptic trajectories of type III solar radio bursts have been obtained from simultaneous direction finding measurements on two independent satellite experiments, IMP-6 with spin plane in the ecliptic, and RAE-2 with spin plane normal to the ecliptic. Burst exciter trajectories were observed which originated at the active region and then crossed the ecliptic plane at about 0.8 AU. We find a considerable large scale north-south component of the interplanetary magnetic field followed by the exciters. The apparent north-south and east-west angular source sizes observed by the two spacecraft are approximately equal, and range from 25° at 600 kHz to 110° at 80 kHz.     

Comparison of Observations at ACE and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ulysses</Emphasis> with Enlil Model Results: Stream Interaction Regions During Carrington Rotations 2016 – 2018

During the latitudinal alignment in 2004, ACE and Ulysses encountered two stream interaction regions (SIRs) each Carrington rotation from 2016 to 2018, at 1 and 5.4 AU, respectively. More SIR-driven shocks were observed at 5.4 AU than at 1 AU. Three small SIRs at 1 AU merged to form a strong SIR at 5.4 AU. We compare the Enlil model results with spacecraft observations from four aspects: i) the accuracy of the latest versions of models (WSA v2.2 and Enlil v2.7) vs. old versions (WSA v1.6 and Enlil v2.6), ii) the sensitivity to different solar magnetograms (MWO vs. NSO), iii) the sensitivity to different coronal models (WSA vs. MAS), iv) the predictive capability at 1 AU vs. 5.4 AU. We find the models can capture field sector boundaries with some time offset. Although the new versions have improved the SIR timing prediction, the time offset can be up to two days at 1 AU and four days at 5.4 AU. The models cannot capture some small-scale structures, including shocks and small SIRs at 1 AU. For SIRs, the temperature and total pressure are often underestimated, while the density compression is overestimated. For slow wind, the density is usually overestimated, while the temperature, magnetic field, and total pressure are often underestimated. The new versions have improved the prediction of the speed and density, but they need more robust scaling factors for magnetic field. The Enlil model results are very sensitive to different solar magnetograms and coronal models. It is hard to determine which magnetogram-coronal model combination is superior to others. Higher-resolution solar and coronal observations, a mission closer to the Sun, together with simulations of greater resolution and added physics, are ways to make progress for the solar wind modeling.     

Observations and discussions concerning ‘high’ polarization features in the solar corona

Photographic observations were obtained of the radial and tangential polarization of the solar corona for the 1970, March 7, solar eclipse. The corona was photographed using a neutral density filter and rotating linear polaroid sectors to allow the polarization structure to be seen from 1 to 6 solar radii. Anomalously high polarizations were found for structures with the E-tangential intensity being predominantly larger than the E-radial intensity. These structures are generally filamentary in nature and radial in direction. One case with a high radial polarization was also found. The photographs were calibrated accurately against the Earth shine from the Moon. Possible source mechanisms are discussed that may explain this new component in the solar corona. Most sources may be ruled out on physical grounds. One possibility appears to be synchrotron radiation from 10 GeV electrons in a 0.4 G field. The existence of these electrons, however, is unlikely in that spacecraft observations at 1 AU do not confirm their presence.     

Interpretation of fast ripple structure in solar impulsive bursts

The Helios spacecraft zodiacal light photometers are used to observe the earthward-directed solar mass ejection transient of 27 November, 1979 described by Howard et al. (1982) that completely circles the Sun in coronagraph observations. At this time, Helios B was situated 30° east of the Sun-Earth line at 0.5 AU. The brightness increase moved outward directly along the Sun-Earth line over a period of approximately 24 hr, indicating a strong collimation of the ejection. The outward motion and mass estimates of the ejected material from the photometers compared with near-Earth observations from IMP spacecraft show that at least a portion of the density increase observed at Earth on 29 and 30 November was associated with this ejection.     

Solar radio burst and in situ determination of interplanetary electron density

We review and discuss a few interplanetary electron density scales which have been derived from the analysis of interplanetary solar radio bursts, and we compare them to a model derived from 1974–1980 Helios 1 and 2 in situ density observations made in the 0.3–1.0 AU range. The Helios densities were normalized to 1976 with the aid of IMP and ISEE data at 1 AU, and were then sorted into 0.1 AU bins and logarithmically averaged within each bin. The best fit to these 1976-normalized, bin averages is N(R _AU) = 6.1R ^-2.10 cm^-3. This model is in rather good agreement with the solar burst determination if the radiation is assumed to be on the second harmonic of the plasma frequency. This analysis also suggests that the radio emissions tend to be produced in regions denser than the average where the density gradient decreases faster with distance than the observed R ^-2.10.NAS/NRC Postdoctoral Research Associate on leave from Laboratory Associated with CNRS No. 264, Paris Observatory, France.     

Stochastic wave growth, power balance, and beam evolution in type III solar radio sources

Energy-balance arguments are combined with the stochastic-growth theory of type III radio sources to determine the properties of the source in average dynamical equilibrium with the beam, and the beam's long-term evolution. Purely linear stochastic-growth theory has previously emphasized that the beam evolves to a state close to marginal stability. Small mean residual deviations from marginal stability are present at dynamical equilibrium and these lead to residual energy flows that feed the waves observed in situ and by remote receivers; consequently the beam energy is depleted. Here, dynamical equilibrium beam and wave levels are estimated for the first time and it is found that the main sink of beam-driven Langmuir waves is either via electrostatic decay into product Langmuir and ion-sound waves or via scattering by short-wavelength density fluctuations, depending on the conditions. Improved estimates of energy branching ratios imply that, at 1 AU from the Sun, typically 20% of the beam energy is converted to Langmuir waves that are scattered off low-frequency density fluctuations and then dissipated, with almost all the remaining waves undergoing electrostatic decay, although as little as one-third of the Langmuir waves may decay in atypical circumstances. Of order 10^–3 of the beam energy is converted into sound waves, which are mostly dissipated, and of order 10^–5 is converted into potentially observable electromagnetic waves. The mean lifetime of the Langmuir waves at 1 AU is 1–40 s, while that of the beam is of order 1000 s. The beam density decreases relative to that of the background as the beam propagates. For most parameters, analysis of energy losses from the beam to the waves shows that the beam velocity decreases at roughly the same rate as the thermal velocity of the background plasma. It is argued from these considerations, and from in situ observations at 1 AU, that these trends imply that only the densest and fastest type III beams will be able to penetrate much past 1 AU from the Sun. This implies a low-frequency cutoff to type III emission at roughly 10 kHz, in good agreement with recent Ulysses remote observations, showing their consistency with in situ measurements.     

Interplanetary type III radiobursts and relativistic electrons

For the time periods 1979 April 22–May 17 and 1980 May 9–June 10, when the HELIOS spacecraft were located inside 0.5 AU, we compared the antenna temperature T _A of the 466 kHz type III bursts measured by the SBH instrument on ISEE 3 with the fluxes of 0.5 MeV electrons measured by HELIOS. For 51 flare-associated kilometric type III bursts (FAIII bursts) with log(T _A) > 10 we find: (1) 25 bursts (49%) are accompanied by a relativistic electron event in interplanetary space, (2) the probability for detection of an electron event decreases from more than 74% inside a cone of ± 20 ° to 56% inside a cone of ± 60° around the flare site, (3) there is only a small correlation between the brightness temperature of the radio burst and the size of the electron event, and (4) despite the broad scatter of these values there is a clear indication that for a given size of the relativistic electron event the intensity of the type III burst is about a factor of 5 higher if it is accompanied by a type II burst. These results give evidence (a) that at least part of the relativistic electrons frequently is accelerated together with non-relativistic electrons and (b) that the coronal shock associated with the metric type II burst has a weaker effect on relativistic than on non-relativistic electrons.Now at DFVLR, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.     

Fast solar electrons,interplanetary plasma and km-wave type-III radio bursts observed from the IMP-6 spacecraft

IMP-6 spacecraft observations of low frequency radio emission, fast electrons, and solar wind plasma are used to examine the dynamics of the fast electron streams which generate solar type-III radio bursts. Of twenty solar electron events observed between April, 1971 and August, 1972, four were found to be amenable to detailed analysis. Observations of the direction of arrival of the radio emission at different frequencies were combined with the solar wind density and velocity measurements at 1 AU to define an Archimedean spiral trajectory for the radio burst exciter. The propagation characteristics of the exciter and of the fast electrons observed at 1 AU were then conpared. We find that: (1) the fast electrons excite the radio emission at the second harmonic; (2) the total distance travelled by the electrons was between 30 and 70% longer than the length of the smooth spiral defined by the radio observations; (3) this additional distance travelled is the result of scattering of the electrons in the interplanetary medium; (4) the observations are consistent with negligible true energy loss by the fast electrons.     

Enigmatic solar wind disappearance events – Do we understand them?

At the Sun-Earth distance of one astronomical unit (1 AU), the solar wind is known to be strongly supersonic and super Alfvenic with Mach and Alfven numbers being on average 12 and 9 respectively. Also, solar wind densities (average ∼10cm^-3) and velocities (average ∼450kms^-1) at 1AU, are known to be inversely correlated with low velocities having higher than average densities andvice versa. However, on May 11 and 12 1999 the Earth was engulfed by an unusually low density (< 0.1cm^-3) and low velocity (< 350km s^-1) solar wind with an Alfven Mach number significantly less than 1. This was a unique low-velocity, low-density, sub-Alfvénic solar wind flow which spacecraft observations have shown lasted more than 24 hours. One consequence of this extremely tenuous solar wind was a spectacular expansion of the Earth’s magnetosphere and bow shock. The expanding bow shock was observed by several spacecraft and reached record upstream distances of nearly 60 Earth radii, the lunar orbit. The event was so dramatic that it has come to be known asthe solar wind disappearance event. Though extensive studies of this event were made by many authors in the past, it has only been recently shown that the unusual solar wind flows characterizing this event originated from a small coronal hole in the vicinity of a large active region on the Sun. These recent results have put to rest speculation that such events are associated with global phenomenon like the periodic solar polar field reversal that occurs at the maximum of each solar cycle. In this paper we revisit the 11 May 1999 event, look at other disappearance events that have ocurred in the past, examine the reasons why speculations about the association of such events with global phenomena like solar polar field reversals were made and also examine the role of transient coronal holes as a possible solar source for such events.     

Preliminary results on the apparent size of the sources of type III bursts observed at low frequencies

We present preliminary results on the apparent angular size of the sources of four type III bursts observed between 3500 and 50 kHz from the IMP-6 spacecraft. The observations were made with a dipole rotating in the plane of the ecliptic where the sources are assumed to be. The apparent angular sizes obtained are unexpectedly large. We discuss different explanations for the results. It seems that the scattering of radio waves by electron density inhomogeneities is the most likely cause.We report a temporal increase of the apparent angular size of the source during the burst lifetime for some bursts. From its characteristics it apears to be a real effect.     

Some requirements of a colliding comet source of gamma ray bursts

Colliding comets in the Solar System may be an important source of gamma ray bursts. The spherical gamma ray comet cloud required by the results of the Venera Satellites (Mazets and Golenetskii, 1987) and the BATSE detector on the Compton Satellite (Meeganet al., 1992a, b) is neither the Oort Cloud nor the Kuiper Belt. To satisfy observations ofN(>P _max) vsP _max for the maximum gamma ray fluxes,P _max > 10^–5 erg cm^–2 s^–1 (about 30 bursts yr^–1), the comet density,n, should increase asn a ¹ from about 40 to 100 AU wherea is the comet heliocentric distance. The turnover above 100 AU requiresn a ^–1/2 to 200 AU to fit the Venera results andn a ^1/4 to 400 AU to fit the BATSE data. Then the masses of comets in the 3 regions are from: 40–100 AU, about 9 earth masses,m _E; 100–200 AU about 25m _E; and 100–400 AU, about 900m _E. The flux of 10^–5 erg cm^–2 s^–1 corresponds to a luminosity at 100 AU of 3 × 10²⁶ erg s^–1. Two colliding spherical comets at a distance of 100 AU, each with nucleus of radiusR of 5 km, density of 0.5 g cm^–3 and Keplerian velocity 3 km s^–1 have a combined kinetic energy of 3 × 10²⁸ erg, a factor of about 100 greater than required by the burst maximum fluxes that last for one second. Betatron acceleration in the compressed magnetic fields between the colliding comets could accelerate electrons to energies sufficient to produce the observed high energy gamma rays. Many of the additional observed features of gamma ray bursts can be explained by the solar comet collision source.     

A Highly Circularly Polarized Solar Radio Emission Component Observed at Hectometric Wavelengths

We report here the observation of a rare solar radio event at hectometric wavelengths that was characterized by essentially 100% circularly polarized radiation and that was observed continuously for about six days, from May 17 to 23, 2002. This was the first time that a solar source with significantly polarized radiation was detected by the WAVES experiment on the Wind spacecraft. From May 19 to 22, the intense polarized radio emissions were characterized by quasi-periodic intensity variations with periods from one to two hours and with superposed drifting, narrowband, fine structures. The bandwidth of this radiation extended from about 400 kHz to 7 MHz, and the peak frequency of the frequency spectrum slowly decreased from 2 MHz to about 0.8 MHz over the course of four days. The radio source, at each frequency, was observed to slowly drift from east to west about the Sun, as viewed from the Earth and was estimated to lie between 26 and 82R_⊙ (R_⊙ = 696 000 km). We speculate that this unusual event may represent an interplanetary manifestation of a moving type IV burst and discuss possible radio emission mechanisms. The ISEE-3 spacecraft may possibly have detected a similar event some 26 years ago.     

The LASL gamma-ray burst astronomy program

Gamma-ray burst observations performed by LASL began with the identification and initial report of the phenomenon from data acquired by the Vela satellites. The Vela instruments have recorded responses to 73 gamma-ray bursts over a ten-year interval, and are continuing to contribute toward these observations. Similar instrumentation was included aboard the NRL SOLRAD 11 spacecraft. These performed well but suffered an early demise. Recently, the LASL gamma-ray burst astronomy program has been enhanced through the implementation of experiments aboard the Pioneer Venus Orbiter and ISEE-C spacecraft. Both of these experiments are continuing to contribute data vital to trigonometric directional analyses.Paper presented at the Symposium on Cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts, held at Toulouse, France, 26–29 November, 1979.     

Solar wind heating beyond 1 AU

The effect of an interplanetary atomic hydrogen gas on solar wind proton, electron and α-particle temperatures beyond 1 AU is considered. It is shown that the proton temperature (and probably also the α-particle temperature) reaches a minimum between 2 AU and 4 AU, depending on values chosen for solar wind and interstellar gas parameters. Heating of the electron gas depends primarily on the thermal coupling of the protons and electrons. For strong coupling (whenT _p ≳T _e ), the electron temperature reaches a minimum between 4 AU and 8 AU, but for weak coupling (Coulomb collisions only), the electron temperature continues to decrease throughout the inner solar system. A spacecraft travelling to Jupiter should be able to observe the heating effect of the solar wind-interplanetary hydrogen interaction, and from such observations it may be possible of infer some properties of the interstellar neutral gas. Currently a National Research Council Resident Research Associate.     

VLA observations of synchrotron radiation at 15 GHz

We present observations of the synchrotron radiation from Jupiter obtained in July 2004 with the Very Large Array at a frequency of 15 GHz. The array was in its most compact (D) configuration and the distance to Jupiter was 6.077 AU, making the apparent size of Jupiter relatively small, and favorable for such observations. We measured a total synchrotron radiation flux density of 1.26±0.12 Jy, scaled to a distance of 4.04 AU, which was 2.4% of the total flux density from the planet. Our results agree, within the uncertainties, with a previous VLA measurement (1.5±0.15 Jy in March 1991 [de Pater, I., Dunn, D., 2003. Icarus 163, 449-455]); both values are a factor of 3-3.5 higher than the flux density reported from Cassini data in 2001 [Bolton, S.J., and 20 colleagues, 2002. Nature 415, 987-991].     

THE DIRECTIVITY OF SOLAR KILOMETRIC TYPE III BURSTS: ULYSSES–ARTEMIS OBSERVATIONS IN AND OUT OF THE ECLIPTIC PLANE

Comparing the records of the radio spectrographs ARTEMIS (100–500 MHz) on the ground and URAP (1–1000 kHz) on the Ulysses spacecraft, we find that most type III bursts extend from the corona to the solar wind. Using the positions of the associated flares, and assuming an average intensity ratio between these two frequency ranges, we derive for the first time the average radiation pattern of interplanetary type III bursts. We find that at 800 kHz it is shifted east of the radial direction by 30° and has a half-width of about 80° at maximum/10; the shift and width increase towards lower frequencies. Ulysses high-latitude observations show that the cross-section perpendicular to the heliospheric equator is about the same. We interpret these properties by refraction effects in local density gradients.     

Unusual Solar Radio Burst Observed at Decameter Wavelengths

An unusual solar burst was observed simultaneously by two decameter radio telescopes UTR-2 (Kharkov, Ukraine) and URAN-2 (Poltava, Ukraine) on 3 June 2011 in the frequency range of 16?–?28 MHz. The observed radio burst had some unusual properties, which are not typical for the other types of solar radio bursts. Its frequency drift rate was positive (about 500 kHz?s^?1) at frequencies higher than 22 MHz and negative (100 kHz?s^?1) at lower frequencies. The full duration of this event varied from 50 s up to 80 s, depending on the frequency. The maximum radio flux of the unusual burst reached ≈10³ s.f.u. and its polarization did not exceed 10 %. This burst had a fine frequency-time structure of unusual appearance. It consisted of stripes with the frequency bandwidth 300?–?400 kHz. We consider that several accompanied radio and optical events observed by SOHO and STEREO spacecraft were possibly associated with the reported radio burst. A model that may interpret the observed unusual solar radio burst is proposed.     

The global structure of the solar wind in June 1991

A numerical simulation of the global solar wind structure for Carrington rotation 1843 (31 May–28 June, 1991) is performed based on a fully three-dimensional, steady-state MHD model of the solar wind (Usmanov, 1993b). A self-consistent solution for 3-D MHD equations is constructed for the spherical shell extending from the solar photosphere up to 10 AU. Solar magnetic field observations are used to prescribe boundary conditions. The computed distribution of the magnetic field is compared with coronal hole observations and with the IMF measurements made by IMP-8 spacecraft at the Earth's orbit.